The Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Assassin!
by shokudo
Summary: Naruto entered the Capital to push his village out of its massive debt, and left an assassin, dedicated to liberating the Capital of it's corruption, and abused power. With the help of a certain group of assassins, Naruto strives to accomplish his new dream: become the world's greatest assassin, and bring peace to the Capital! Crossover, ongoing.
1. Kill the Darkness!

**Author's Note: Yo! I've read other Naruto/Akame ga Kill crossovers, and I just thought, "What would happen if I wrote my own?" And then this happened. I have most of this planned out, including who lives(some people will live,) who dies, Naruto's origins, and the Teigu I want him to have.**

 **Just to get out of the way, Naruto is** _ **not**_ **op, but he isn't weak either. You'll see why in a few chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Akame ga Kill. I really shouldn't have to say this.**

 **Chapter 1: Kill the Darkness!**

"Woah, this place is huge!" The visitor took in his surroundings with awe. To any onlooker, it was obvious he had never been to the Capital before. "If things work out, I could just buy the village." Checking his fold-out map, he made his way towards the enlistment office. ' _Fame and fortune, here I come!'_

He didn't notice someone else's gaze. Taking a sip of her coffee, Leone inspected him, her interest caught; sweatervest, travel pack, and a sword. He was definitely new here, and more than likely wanted to join the army if he was carrying a weapon in public without hearing of the Capital's reputation first.

She contemplated following him; he seemed like he would be good material once he was inevitably kicked out of the enlistment office. The guy was probably trying to pay for his village if he hailed from the countryside. He wasn't the first to arrive looking for work. Taxes had been ordered on more than just one village.

So instead of letting him fall flat on his face and return home with his tail between his legs, like a certain blond she saw the day before, she stood up and followed after him, but not before taking one final sip from her drink.

 **Enlistment Office**

"So where will I start?" Tatsumi's plan was to raise enough money so his village wouldn't have been stormed by the imperial tax police. So what other place to start than the military? Their salaries were through the roof. Just a few months in and he'd be able to get everyone else out of debt.

The officer sat with a bored expression. "Right now, private maybe."

But not as a private. Those guys were the grunts, the ones with the lowest rates who cleaned up after the just about everyone else. That couldn't be him, no way. "Private? The way I am now, I think capta-" He was about to answer, but was interrupted.

"The hell do you mean private?! I can't start all the way at the bottom!" Peering over, Tatsumi saw an orange clad blond with black pants, combat boots, and blue eyes currently in a screaming match against one of the enlistment officers. Were those...whisker marks on his cheeks? And why so much orange?

"What did you expect?! Did you really think you'd make captain or something?! This is only your second day in the Capital!" The officer rebutted.

"So what! I'm not just some washed up farmboy looking for work, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! The one who's gonna change everything around here; you ought to show some respect!"

The officer sighed. "Someone get him out of here." He waved.

"W-what?" It was only a few seconds before the blond identified as Naruto was unceremoniously thrown out of the office.

"You were saying?" The draft officer asked, regaining Tatsumi's attention.

"Huh? Hold on, I'll be back." He followed after the blond. The officer said he only arrived a day prior. He probably knew more about this place than what he did. Better yet, maybe his village was in a state of crisis like Tatsumi's and was willing to help. Sayo and Ieyasu would probably enjoy his company.

Once outside, he found the blond speaking to a lady with golden hair and matching eyes, wearing a...woah. A _very_ revealing top, if it could have even been considered one.

She must've caught him staring, the woman placed her conversation on hold, calling him over.

' _Oh boy.'_

"Hey, I was just asking for you." She chirped, once he approached her. She didn't seem so bad.

"Do you need my help with something?"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of helping you." The busty woman explained.

"What could you help me with?" Wait, was she a prostitute or something?

"Well if I had to take a guess," She looked them over. "You both want fame and fortune, right?"

"What? How did you know?" Naruto asked.. "Could you really help us with that?" Naruto asked hopefully

"You two aren't the first to come here looking to make a name for themselves. Those taxes were put on all surrounding villages, y'know."

"So you could help us?"

"You bet I can~!" They were so _adorably_ naive!

"What do I have to do?" Naruto asked.

"It's real easy, all you have to do is…" She watched the boys lean in. "Buy me lunch, I'm starving!"

While Naruto paled, Tatsumi practically beamed. "That's it? C'mon let's go!"

And so the woman led the two to a bar pretty far away. It was nearly filled, most patrons celebrating, others drowning their sorrows. They found a table near a window, and seated themselves.

Twenty minutes later the busty woman was already tipsy, reaching for another chug of sake. "Are you sure you don't want any? There's still enough for one of you." She offered.

"Actually, I was wondering about that position in the military you were talking about earlier." Naruto reminded.

"That? Oh yeah." She chugged another mug's worth. "So, I know this guy who could hook you two up, but you'll have to make it worth his while." The busty woman explained.

Naruto paled. She wanted money, and he was dead broke. The brunette on his right was the one to pay for this woman's meal. What was he gonna do? He couldn't start out as a private, it would take too long for him to work his way up.

Then his jaw dropped open when he saw the farmboy pull out a bag full of gold coins. "Will this do?" He asked.

The busty blonde's smirk grew into an all out grin. "Woah, where'd you get all this?"

"That's just a reward for killing a class one danger beast, no biggie." The traveler bragged.

So he was a fighter. "Tough guy. With this you might even make Captain."

"Really, lets hope so!"

"What about you blondie?" The woman asked with expectancy. Shit, shit, shit, shit, _SHIT_.

"Uhh, well, you see I kinda don't have any money on me." He confessed, his hand on the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, that's too bad." With that she stood up, prepared to take her leave.

No, no she couldn't go now, not when he was so close! "W-wait!"

"Hmm? Sorry kid, if you don't have any cash he's not gonna even consider it."

"So what if I don't any money, I could do something else. Anything!"

She stared up, thoughtful contemplation evident. "Nope." She made to leave, but not before a final message to the other farmboy. "But feel too bad. Our little encounter's been educational for the other one in more ways than you might think." She turned towards the exit. "I'm gonna talk to him. You wait here."

"See ya!" Tatsumi waved. The bartender setting a nearby table sighed and shook his head. He didn't know he'd been robbed yet.

"Hold on!" Naruto ran off after his fellow blonde, desperate for compromise. "Wait up!" Once outside however, she was already gone. "DAMMIT!" Slumping over, he moped his way back to the bar, and finally the table, instantly placing his head within his arms once he sat down.

Remembering why he followed the boy out of the enlistment office earlier, Tatsumi tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Why did you come to the Capital?"

"None of your business." The blond's response was immediate, muffled through his arms.

The farmboy sighed. "Was it your home?"

Naruto stood quiet, before standing up and leaving the bar. "I'll figure something else out." He mumbled, halfway to the exit.

And so Tatsumi was left alone to wait for the busty blonde, eager to join the ranks of the military.

Forty minutes later, he was beginning to fall asleep. As he laid his head down - No! He could do this. All he needed was patience.

An hour later, he was already asleep.

Two hours later, when he woke up, the farmboy wondered if he was ripped off. Nah, she wouldn't do that; she didn't give off that vibe, but he never did catch her name…

Another hour later, he came upon a realization:

He was robbed.

"Hey kid, I'd like to go home tonight y'know." The bartender said, cleaning one of the tables.

"Huh? Oh um, I'm just waiting for someone."

"Yeah, hate to tell you son, but she took your money and ran."

A lightbulb went off, confirming what he already knew. "WHHAATT?!"

"Don't you know better than to just hand some stranger everything you got?" Seriously, he'd seen this go down way too many times. Couldn't people just use some common sense in a place like this?

"I gotta go find her!" Grabbing his stuff, he made his way to the door. "Which way did she go?"

"Don't waste your time. It's your own fault you got scammed." What added salt to the wound was that the barkeep was right.

 **Outside - The streets**

"Ugh, this totally sucks. That was every penny I had."

"Damn that rack! Better yet, damn that girl! I guess that was my educational experience!" Tatsumi's little tirade only awoke some dogs nearby. "None of the people back at the village are such liars…" He moped away, walking at a slow pace.

Leaning on a wall, he set his stuff down and covered himself with his coat. "Maybe sleeping outside won't be so bad."

"Excuse me." Tatsumi opened his eyes, looking up and into the eyes of a girl with comforting blue eyes, a matching dress over a white shirt, and short blonde hair. "If you need a place to rest your head tonight, you're more than welcome to come home with me."

The farmboy remained indifferent, ready to call out her bullshit at any moment. "Uhh, thanks but I'm broke."

She chuckled, "If you weren't you wouldn't be here now, would you?"

"Lady Aria has a bit of a weak spot for helping those with nowhere else to go. You really should accept her offer. The one over there did." One of her guards gestured to a familiar blond in the carriage. Wait...was that Naruto? The guy from earlier?

"Pretty please?"

Tatsumi refocused his gaze to the girl in front of him. "I guess it's better than sleeping on the streets."

She grinned. "Great! Let's go home."

 **Aria's Mansion**

Naruto took in his surroundings. This place was _huge_ , and fancy too. Were those marble walls? He thought those were only in the storybooks he would read. And the guards, they were pretty big too. It was probably easier to let people they didn't know with tight security like that.

Tatsumi had similar thoughts, and just when he thought everyone in the capital were evil scumbags! Finally Aria's family addressed them.

"Oh, two new guests this time Aria?" Her father observed.

"How many does this make?" Her mother asked.

"Mother!"

"You guys have ramen?" Naruto asked unexpectedly. Whether he stayed or not depended on her answer.

She paused, not been expecting such an order. It wasn't as though it was actually a problem; they probably had enough ramen to fill the blond traveler's body weight ten times over, but the only ones who actually ate it were the guards.

Ramen was considered a peasant's food.

Nonetheless, the woman smiled, and answered his question. "Of course. We have ramen for days."

Stars appeared in Naruto's eyes as he blithely set his stuff down and approached the dining room table.

…

"So you plan on making a name for yourself in the Imperial Capital." Aria's father concluded, taking a sip of his tea.

"Right." The farmboy answered. Everyone was seated at the table, with Aria and her family one one side, the visitors on the other. Truthfully Naruto didn't know how to use any of the utensils on the sides of his plate other than the "semi-big spoon" and it's cousin, the "slightly bigger fork". Not that he really needed to; he ate with chopsticks.

"As you may know, the Capital is a wonderful place. However, it is surrounded by hostile tribes on three sides." He said, setting down his cup. "If you're too enlist, you may be expected to go out and join the fight."

"I'm prepared for that."

"I'm sure you are. Seems you've got spirit, good to see that in a young man such as yourself." Her father complimented.

"Well, I don't mean to brag, y'know." Tatsumi responded

"Did you too come by yourselves?" Aria asked.

For the first time since sitting down, Naruto spoke. "Yep, came here on foot, all by myself." He bragged, placing a proud finger on his puffed out chest.

"Oh, did you encounter any danger beasts?"

"Actually-"

"Yeah, it was an Earth Dragon, killed it in less than a minute, think it was class-one no biggie." Tatsumi interrupted

"Pfft, that's nothing, I found and killed an apeman, that thing could crush an entire horde of Earth-Dragons in twelve seconds." The blonde challenged

"Yeah, and how did you kill it? You don't even have a weapon." The farmboy rebutted.

"How'd you come up with that?" He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a sheathed machete somehow integrated into an arm holster. "He never saw it coming. Just a flick of the wrist then _bam!_ "

"So you both have combat experience?" Aria's mother asked.

"Apparently." Tatsumi answered.

"Did you come alone Tatsumi?"

"No. I came with my friends, but we ended up separated by bandits." Thinking back to the day of their departure, he sighed contently. "But they're pretty good fighters, so they should be fine."

 **Flashback**

 _Snowflakes fell freely onto the ground. Slush padded their coats along with the land all around them._

 _But it didn't matter; he and his friends were going to the Capital, it was supposed to be very warm, much warmer than what it was in the village. "We're gonna hit the road now, mayor." Tatsumi said, waving goodbye._

 _His best friends, Sayo and Ieyasu stood beside him, bidding their farewells to the mayor._

" _Well, you three have been pushing each other forward since you were just children. I guess it's time to use that energy to make good of yourselves."_

" _You can count on us sir, we'll bring fortune back to the village." Sayo assured._

" _That's right, no one's starving on our watch!" Ieyasu supported. "Give it five to ten years, and everyone miles around will know the name Ieyasu." He proudly stated._

" _Sure, if you don't get arrested and have your head chopped off before then." She deadpanned._

" _Jeez why do you have to be so morbid?!" Ieyasu asked accusingly, clearly in minor distress._

" _They're as spirited as always." The mayor commented, as he watched the two go back and forth with Tatsumi. "Tatsumi, I have something for you." He produced an idol from his coat, before handing it to the brunette. "It's a potting gift. For when times are tough."_

 _Inspecting it, he decided, "I'll sell it."_

" _The hell you will! Just keep it with you at all times; It ensures God will protect you." The mayor advised._

" _Got it. Thanks a lot."_

 **Flashback end**

"But Ieyasu couldn't find his way out of a paper bag." He could almost imagine his childhood friend rebuking him for that. "We were supposed to meet each other in the Capital but...I don't he'll make it."

"It's settled then."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure I know someone in the military who could help you." The older man offered. "I'll give him your names, and ask him to search for your two friends." Naruto and Tatsumi's smiles grew into all out grins as he spoke.

"That's awesome, thank you so much!" The blonde thanked.

"I have a keen intuition; I'm sure you'll see your friends very soon." Aria assured.

Later that night, as Naruto stared out into the window of the guest bedroom, he reflected on his journey so far.

He hadn't been as fortunate as one would think, and although anyone else would've quit a long time ago, the blonde was far too stubborn to even consider giving up like that. Not before he saved his village from the debt it had and finally got the respect he so desperately strived for.

After he had a good night's rest; the blonde had traveled nonstop from his village to the Capital for over four days, no breaks.

As he laid himself down on the first bed he'd slept on in over two years, he was able to find solace knowing not everyone in the Capital were like the scum he'd been exposed to.

 **The Next Day**

"C'mon, we should go to that shop next!" Aria animatedly said, pointing to another clothing store up ahead.

"Please wait, Milady." Her guards struggled to carry the multitude of items the girl had bought.

"Lady Aria's a pretty serious shopper isn't she?" Tatsumi commented. There were too many boxes to count, it was all able to fit in one cart. It had to be pulled by the carriage for God's sake.

"Yeah, I've never seen so much stuff in one place before." Naruto supported, walking up next to him.

"She does enjoy it, but I suppose all women behave this way, no?"

"I don't think so; I have a girl I know and she just wears the same thing everyday." Naruto opposed.

"Yeah, same here." Tatsumi agreed, nearly hearing Sayo scold him.

"Naruto, Tatsumi. You see that castle over there?" The guard asked, nodding in the direction of one of the largest _anything_ the two travelers had seen. "That is the center of the entire empire. That's where everything happens."

"I had been wondering where the emperor made all the decisions." The blonde admitted.

"It doesn't actually work that way." The guard cornered the both of them on the side of the cart. "There is an emperor, but he's only a child. This land is plagued by corruption, and the prime minister controls the Empire from the shadows."

"Prime minist-" He held a hand over his mouth. "Don't let yourself be heard." He warned, looking left and right. "Those who oppose, are executed."

"So he ordered all those heavy taxes on my village." Tatsumi mused, struggling to keep his composure.

"Yes; the entire Capital knows."

Naruto only stood quiet, and looked down, in a state of mental distress.

"And that's not all." The chaperone revealed, drawing the boys' attention once more. "We're dealing with _those_ scum as well." He gestured towards wanted posters lined up against the wall.

"Night Raid?" The blond read aloud.

"A band of assassins terrorizing the area. As the name implies, they strike at night only, taking a special interest in the wealthy, and high ranking officials. This is why it's always a good idea to remain cautious, and prepared." He explained.

"Right."

"Gotcha."

"But for the time being, let's do something about _that_." The guard pointed at his associates struggling to hold a box as big as the carriage itself.

"What do you want us to do?!"

 **Middle of the Night - Mansion**

Naruto woke up with a start. His intuition was flaring, but he didn't know why. Scrambling out of bed, the blond looked out the massive window in the master guest bedroom. The guards were running ahead, but advanced in the window's blind spot. "Night Raid." He realized. Strapping his machete holster to his arm, he ran out the room.

He had to help.

Turning in a corner, and into a hallway, the blond looked out another window, and saw five figures on a band of strings", each one backlit by the moonlight.

"No way." Tatsumi said.

"It's Night Raid, c'mon we gotta go." Naruto ordered, advancing down the hallway, the farmboy following.

"What do they want?" Tatsumi asked.

"I think it's cause' the family's rich."

"Probably."

Out the window, Naruto saw one of the figures drop down, accompanied by someone _huge_ clad in some high-class looking armor. Then they killed two of the guards, the last one shot from above.

Once outside, the travelers found Aria with her guard running towards a warehouse, probably a shelter of some sort. "There you are!" Both heaved forward panting, holding their knees.

"Tatsumi, Naruto!"

"Great, you made it. Stall the enemy while I take Lady Aria to safety, got it?" Her guard ordered.

Tatsumi visibly recoiled. "What? You expect us to-"

"Got it." The blond agreed.

"W-what?! Are you crazy?!" The farmboy squeaked when he heard the assassin, Akame if the poster was any accurate, drop down with a soft thud. Naruto only unsheathed his weapon.

"Too late to complain." Naruto barreled forward, clearly unaffected by her entrance.

"None of you are targets." Akame reminded. She leaped on the blond's head, and hopped off, eyes set on Aria and her guard. "You two don't have to die here today."

"But you do." The assassin bobbed and weaved through the hail of bullets caused by the guard, before slicing him in two. ' _You're done.'_

The girl fearfully stepped back, tripping over and falling on her rear, but before Akame could complete her assignment, Tatsumi's blade clashed with her's

"I told you you aren't a target. Don't make me kill you." She warned.

"Sorry, but I can't just stand back and let you kill this innocent girl." Tatsumi defended.

"So you won't step aside?"

"No. We won't." Naruto said, next to the farmboy.

"Very well, then."

The two tightened their grip on their weapons, ready for the fight about to break out.

Meanwhile Leone walked out of the mansion, brushing off any dust. "That was easy." She commented, referring to the father's death by her hand. "Huh?" It wasn't like Akame to take this long fighting someone. Wait a sec...Were those the two kids from earlier?

"Aw jeez." She said, palming her face. They just couldn't catch a break could they?

Naruto analyzed his situation. She was a better fighter than the both of them.

That much he gathered watching her kill two guards and dodging bullet rain like it was nothing.

Still...they had to try. And they wouldn't give up.

The pair moved at the same time, encountering Akame at respective sides.

While they're moves were a bit sloppy, her's were more refined, mixing in punch-kick combos in her attacks. She managed to shift between her opponents almost effortlessly, finally managing to slash Naruto at his abdomen, sending him on the ground.

"Naruto!" Aria cried.

He lay there for nearly a minute before staggering to his feet shocking not only Akame, but the busty blonde watching.

"How are you still alive?" The assassin asked. "Do you posses a teigu I'm not aware of?"

"A teigu? What's that?" The blond smirked; he didn't know what a Teigu was, but if the possibility alone could leave her cautious like this, then so be it.

"I see. Then you must die." She decided. Maybe he played this wrong.

"W-wait you just want to take this girl's money don't you?" Tatsumi's plea for reasoning fell on deaf ears; Akame barreled in, blade ready. "You don't have to kill her! There's no reason to kill innocent people!"

Just before the two could clash again, a lion paw gripped the assassin's collar. "What are you doing?" She asked neutrally.

"We still have time left. And I kinda owe them a favor." The blonde explained.

Wait a minute…"Hey! You're the girl from earlier!" Naruto remembered.

"Yeah! The one at the boobs!"

"Yup, that's what they call me." Leone waved. "Listen. Earlier you were concerned we were killing innocent people." Aria stiffened from behind.

"You'll see things differently when you see what's behind that door." The blonde explained, gesturing at the warehouse.

Leone smashed the door open. "Here it is. Welcome to the Capital kids."

One look inside, and Tatsumi nearly threw up right then and there. The smell of death permeated the air. There were...people in there. Hanging on the ceiling, in cages, some even on the ground, all bloody and broken. It was disgusting, horrific, and morbid all at once. "No."

"Yes. We found out little Aria here liked picking up strangers from the countryside and torturing them to death for her own sick amusement." Leone explained.

No. No, no no no. "Sayo." She was hanging, naked, bloody from the horrendous torture she was put through.

She was already dead.

The blonde grasped Aria by her hair when she tried to escape. "You didn't think we were done now, did you?"

"They did this?" Naruto questioned, his hair shielding his eyes from view.

"Yes, they did. And the guards are just as guilty for keeping it secret." She answered.

"She's lying!" The girl pleaded. "I didn't know about any of this! Who're you gonna believe? These murderers, or the one who saved you guys?!"

"Tatsumi." He gasped, recognizing that voice. The farmboy peered his head to the source of the voice, his stomach churning at the sight of his friend, half-dead, just as broken as Sayo. "I-it's me." Ieyasu reached out from the cage bars.

Tatsumi only stood still, more than likely traumatized.

"Sh-she invited us to stay here. We ate, and then everything went black. Woke up here." It heard to speak, but Ieyasu went on, tears forming. "And then...and then that girl tortured Sayo to death." He sobbed, sinking to his knees.

Aria knew she was found out. "Fine, fine! I did it, okay!" She confessed, before attempting to justify her actions with a mad glint in her eyes. "THIS TRASH IS JUST WORTHLESS! FILTH! THEY'RE NOTHING BUT-BUT LIVESTOCK FOR ME TO USE! GARBAGE LIKE HER DOESN'T HOLD THE RIGHT TO SUCH BEAUTIFUL HAIR! MINE KEPT GIVING ME TROUBLE, SO I TREATED HER EXTRA SPECIAL! SHE SHOULD BE HONORED THAT I GAVE HER SO MUCH ATTENTION! THAT UNGRATEFUL PI-"

 _Chulk!_

Aria's disturbing tirade was cut short, along with her jugular. Blood sprayed freely, Naruto's blade now dripping the red liquid. As he viewed his work, Tatsumi gasped, Akame stood stoic, while Leone held her chin in contemplation.

He was definitely Night Raid worthy. He obviously didn't have a problem killing, and was semi-good with that machete. The other his sword, even if he probably needed reality to set in.

"Thanks, whoever you are. I really needed to see that." Ieyasu acknowledged, before coughing blood in his hand.

"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi ran over, and set his friend down, worrying when he began breathing heavy. "No,"

"It's Lubora." Akame explained. "The mother enjoyed poisoning people with various medicines, documenting their reactions in a journal she kept. It's too late for him."

"It's okay." He tried to ease. "You should know, Sayo never broke. She never let herself give in." He revealed. "She was amazing. So, I wanted...I wanted to go out...a hero." With that, his body fell limp, and he died, meeting Sayo in the afterlife.

"His will was all that kept him alive." Akame said, watching the brunette cradle his friend.

"...What the hell is wrong with this place?"

The assassin turned away. "Let's go."

"Wait. Don't you think we should bring them with?" Leone suggested, before grabbing both Naruto and Tatsumi by their collars, dragging them on their rears, both voicing their protests, to which the blonde merely ignored. "We could use extra sets of hands, y'know?"

"I have to bury my friends!" Tatsumi cried.

"I could bring them to the hideout if you want." Leone offered.

"You're late." A girl with clad in pink said, annoyed. She held a large gun in her hands, and was accompanied by two other people. One the big guy from earlier, the other wearing only green, with the exception of orange goggles. "What took you so long? And who're those two?"

The blonde smirked. "The new recruits!" She answered, which earned a surprised,

"Huh?!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," She began, releasing them from her grip. "You're one of us now. Welcome to the team!"

Naruto stood up, Tatsumi following. "Hell no! Don't I get a say in this?!"

"Me too!"

"Give up; Leone gets her way. Always." Akame advised, much to the busy blonde's happiness.

"See? Akame here gets it. You will too after a little while. Bulat, he's all yours."

The one in the armor, now identified as Bulat, picked up the farmboy, much to his chagrin. "Hey, put me down, I don't wanna kill people."

"Don't worry; it gets easier." Bulat commented.

"...Oh no."

"The mission is complete. We're heading back." Akame said, leaping off the building, the others following.

"I just wanted to join the army." Naruto whined, now in his fellow blonde's hold.

"And now you're here. Fate's really funny isn't it blondie?" Leone teased.

"Don't call me blondie!"

 **Author's Note: So...did you like it? Hate it? Let me know.**


	2. Kill the Authority! pt 1

**Author's Note: To avoid confusion, a male person with blond hair is considered a blond. A female with blond hair is considered a blonde, with an e.**

 **So when I'm referring to Naruto, I'll use blond.**

 **When I'm referring to Leone, I'll use blonde.**

 **Also, I kinda changed the evil bird's description from what it was in the anime**.

 **And to those who were concerned about this being an oc insert, don't worry, it isn't. I used Tatsumi's POV in the first chapter because I wanted to show where Naruto fit inside the agk universe. From here on out, it's strictly Naruto's POV.**

 **One last thing, I know I haven't updated my other story in a while, just know I will never give up on that one, and if you haven't checked it out, go on ahead. If it sucks you gotta let me know, I won't get better otherwise. Same with this.**

 **Chapter 2: Kill the Authority! Pt 1**

"Naruto." Akame quietly called, interrupting his afternoon stroll around the surrounding forestry, the undergrowth remaining unexamined. While her hair flowed with the autumn breeze, his unruly blond locks only retained their spiky shape, save for his bangs.

"Yeah, what is it? Are you finally let me go?" He asked, sarcasm lacing his words. After they had dumped the blond at the base, they presented him with only two options: join or die, since he had already seen their base of operations, but that sounded more like an excuse than anything; It wasn't as if he would actually report them to the Imperial Guard or anything. When the blond tried to explain that he would simply be on his way if they were to set him free, they argued against it, then told him to get some rest.

So when late morning came, Naruto got up, and walked out, but not before leaving a note; they would've thought he escaped if he hadn't. And even if that were the case, the dark-haired assassin was there, blocking his path, making sure he wasn't running off, and threatening to mutilate him if he even thought to run away.

"We have to gather food." She simply explained, her expression epitomizing neutral indifference.

"You mean like, hunting?"

"Yes."

The blond placed a hand behind his head almost sheepishly. "Oh. Well, uhh," he began. Truthfully, hunting wasn't Naruto's strong point. He tried it a few years back when things were especially bad, and almost got parasites upon discovery that the meat had to be properly washed afterwards. And cooked. "I'm not the greatest hunter." He confessed.

"You can learn. If you are to be an assassin, you must know how to be resourceful with the environment around you." Akame explained.

"So you'll teach me?"

"I'll try."

…

Truthfully, Akame could have easily found a danger beast in less than four minutes, but brought Naruto along so she could predict his overall skill as an assassin. The predatory task was considered practice among fellow assassins, as it exercised speed, tracking ability, and strength depending on whatever game was present.

All skills he definitely needed to bring into focus. He was fast, but only in random bursts of energy. The blond possessed steely determination however, as shown when he tried and almost succeeded in wrestling a grizzly bear to the ground, before running out of it's cave in retreat.

Soon after Akame killed it herself, Naruto found an evil bird stomping around in a nearby clearing.

"Okay, okay. You got this." Akame heard Naruto encourage himself, hiding behind a bush next to her.

"Remember Naruto, patience." She reminded.

"Got it."

"Do you still have your machete?"

"Always."

"Good. You'll need it. The evil bird species are very territorial, and warlike. Once you reveal yourself, it won't stop until you're dead, even if you run away." The assassin advised, hoping he was at least learning from the mistakes he was making previously.

"...So it's like every other animal we've encountered." Naruto concluded.

"Basically."

"Alright." As he propped himself onto his feet, unsheathing his blade from his sleeve, Akame took note of the blond's opponent's appearance. The bird had the build of an ostrich, only twice as large with menacing red eyes, charcoal feathers, and a pelican-like beak. Naruto stormed in, the red-eyed assassin quietly observing.

Akame sighed when she saw him storm in, immediately alerting the evil bird to his presence. He should have thought to at least prowl over, so it hopefully wouldn't hear him. Maybe he was just the brawling type, like Bulat or Leone.

The bird didn't take Naruto's presence lightly. It squaked challengingly, advancing towards the blond just as fast as he was.

Before the avian could literally chomp Naruto's head off, he rolled to the side, then slashed at the beast's massive jugular, growling when it bobbed and weaved through each strike. At least he knew to go for the throat. But he would have to watch for it's feet.

Just as predicted, the bird sent him hurtling away with a sharp kick. The blond grunted in pain as he rolled across the clearing until slowing to a complete stop, nearly dropping his weapon.

As Naruto lay unmoving, the beast drew near slowly, and Akame considered stepping in to make sure the newbie wasn't dead already.

Fortunately, the blond whipped out his machete when the avian was towering over his temperaruly downed form, chopping the bird's neck in two, and effectively securing their dinner for the later. He looked over his fallen prey, then shook his blade dry.

The assassin traversed over from the bush, impressed with the blond's latest kill. "Nice work." She complimented.

…

Twenty minutes later, the sun was already setting, and the beast was roasting over a rather large fire pit. After Naruto killed the evil bird, Akame suggested they cook it right then and there, to which the blond looked away when she quickly began to gut it without warning. In all fairness, the bird would've begun to rot had it not been prepared immediately.

"This is pretty good, not as good as ramen though." Naruto commented, holding a stick of of his dinner which was amusingly akin to chicken, before taking a bite.

He halted when he felt a familiar form plant itself on his back. "Hey blondie." Leone greeted, draping her arms around him.

"What did I say about calling me blondie? That isn't my name!" Naruto said, his cheeks set ablaze. Leone seemed to get on his nerves easily, for what reason not even he knew.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. She tried to take the money he didn't have, before carrying him off into the moonlight here to join a group of murderers, who would kill him if he refused to join.

He really wished she wasn't so hot.

"Aww, don't be like that, at least we haven't killed you yet." The blonde sarcastically remarked.

When he tried to get away, he found her arms secured him in place. "Yeah, thanks for that." Sarcasm laced his words. Finally, she set him free, to which he scrambled away at a safe distance.

"So he hasn't joined yet?" Akame asked.

"Of course not." Naruto answered.

"...If you didn't hunt this yourself I would take the drumstick in your hand."

"So the newbie killed this himself? I'm impressed. Guess I was right to take you in." Leone complimented, folding her arms.

"Don't overestimate him. He lost several other targets before he found the evil bird." Akame said, whilst biting into her meal, much to Naruto's chagrin.

"Hey! The deer were crazy fast, I couldn't keep up with them!"

"And the bear?"

"Do I really need to defend myself here?" He almost got it anyway. Even if he did end up tactically retreating...

"Fair enough. What about the autumn fox?"

That wasn't his fault, actually. "That bastard fox crawled into his little hole before I could catch it."

"And then it kept following us. It seemed drawn to you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The blond grumbled, folding his arms. "I still killed that evil bird."

She sighed. "What about him?" The red-orbed assassin gestured towards the other new guy, what was his name, Tatsumi? "Has he joined yet?"

"No." The brunette answered sternly.

"Than I'm sorry but I won't be offering you any of my dinner."

"Seriously?!"

"Yep." Leone said, approaching Akame. "But seriously, everyone's extra jacked up today." The busty blonde commented.

"It's because the boss is back." Akame said.

"Yo." The blond nearly jumped in surprise. Looking over, he saw a woman with stone gray short hair, and light purple eyes, one shielded via eyepatch. She donned a business-oriented suit that exposed a healthy amount of cleavage, and her arm...

It was pretty friggin' cool.

'But when the hell did she get there?!' He thought. She was sitting on the rock eating some of the food he hunted, as though she'd been there the whole time. How did she conceal her presence for so long?

Had he not been focused on her appearance, The blond would have noticed Leone's smirk grow forced, and her golden eyes widen just a fraction. "Hey Boss!" She waved, remaining in place. "Welcome back, did you bring me any souvenirs?"

"Now why would I do that?"

"Huh?"

"About one of your recent assignments," The boss began, slowly raising a twitching mechanical hand. "I was notified you completed it three days late."

The blonde scrambled into an all out sprint, desperate for escape. It was in vain however, as the ex-general's artificial arm shot out and grasped Leone by the head. Tatsumi gasped at the swift movement. "It's important to know when facing a powerful opponent to not get caught up in all the fun. I expected you to know that by now." She criticized, ignoring Leone's pleas to release her as she was reeled in. Once the blonde was in a close vicinity, she let her go. "Now tell me about those two." She ordered, nodding towards Naruto and Tatsumi.

Slowly, Naruto attempted escape while everyone was distracted, just about to pass the indifferent Tatsumi until out of nowhere, Leone clasped the blond by his collar, having recovered from her previous scolding. "Oh! They're gonna be joining us." Leone informed, grasping the two by their shoulders and pulling Naruto under her's.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet." Tatsumi argued.

"I was so close…" The blond mumbled.

Najenda observed them. They both looked as though they would be pieces of work later. They would definitely piss off Mine, but then again just about everyone managed to get on that girl's nerves. "Do they have potential?"

Leone smiled. "They sure do." While the boss only stared, the busty blonde patted Tatsumi on his back. "See? We only want you to try."

"That's not what you said before!"

"Akame, get everyone together. I want to hear about everything, including them." Najenda said, slipping on her jacket, before walking towards the base.

…

Now that Naruto didn't enter the mansion kicking and screaming like the first time he was here, he took in his surroundings, taking time to admire the high ceilings, the sophisticated decor, and the little touches of red here and there against the ivory walls.

The boss sat facing everyone in the meeting room. Everyone was in attendance, Akame, Leone, Tatsumi, and three other people Naruto had only met briefly the day before.

He stood next to Tatsumi, the others surrounding them in an imperfect circle. The blond was pretty sure this was the part where they swore themselves in or something.

"Okay, I think I understand the situation here."

"That we're being held against our will? That I won't be able to save my village in time because of this? Maybe if you didn't waste time kidnapping a couple of farm-kids the situation wouldn't be that hard to understand!" Naruto challenged, his voice raising with each word spoken. He earned different reactions from everyone in the room at his audacity.

Leone checked her teammate's reactions, nearly giggling at Mine's vexed glare, and Bulat's deadpan expression, almost bursting out laughing when she saw the horrified look on Tatsumi's face. Naruto could only hope he was teamed up with Sheele, the kindest one in their small band of misfits. Definitely not the blonde herself, however; she'd probably end up "accidently" leaving him to fend for himself in the danger-beast prominent forest outside.

She would have bet every penny she had Naruto thought he could annoy his way out if joining. That if he managed to piss the boss off enough, she would just let him go.

But Najenda only sighed. If he didn't respect her now it was less likely he would follow orders later. Maybe he needed a reality check. "Akame." She ordered, to which the blond widened his eyes to near comical proportions when the assassin unsheathed her katana.

"Of course." Akame acknowledged, before infiltrating his space, moving to impale the blond before his machete appeared in his hand. He quickly gained a short distance away from his surprise opponent. Good reaction time, she noted.

Naruto wanted to look in the boss's direction to demand an explanation, but knew better than to look away from an enemy like Akame for even a second. So, with a bead of sweat running down his forehead, the blond went over his current predicament.

He was probably gonna die by the hands of Akame for a second time, and was surrounded by several other skilled assassins who could kill him in an instant. If he tried to run, one would merely shoot him down.

He was trapped.

But why weren't they attacking? Did they find this amusing to them? Did they just want to see him get killed? Maybe it was all a test?

His eyes widened. Definitely a test. More like a pop quiz when he actually thought about it. Probably for mouthing off to the boss lady.

As he went over his odds, he was only able to utter out one word, before Akame came storming in, blade raised.

"Crap."

He mentally high fived himself for blocking the first swipe, until the assassin began mixing melee attacks with her swordplay.

She performed a mid-air roundhouse kick, satisfied when it hit its mark perfectly. In his recoil, Naruto maneuvered himself, improvising a slash at Akame diagonally.

She side-blocked it one handed, then gripped the blond's wrist in her free hand, then without explanation, Naruto was on the ground on his back, his machete now in Akame's hand.

She stood over him, the blond under the rest of Night Raid's gaze. "You need to know your place, blondie." The boss advised from the sidelines. "I'll have Akame reprimand you every time otherwise."

Even though Naruto remained quiet, he didn't have to know the specifics to assume what that would more than likely entail; ambushes out of nowhere, cuts and bruises, trips to the infirmary if there was one, the works. He didn't exactly agree, but he didn't oppose either. "Yeah, yeah," he said, propping himself up on his feet, ignoring the pain in his eye and his more than likely busted lip.

Bulat examined the blond's face with minor astonishment. His wounds, they were healing...fast. His eye, that should have been swollen shut, seemed to be rearranging itself, already returning to it's original form.

Najenda noticed it too, but decided that was better left alone for a later date. "As I was saying," She continued, placing her hand forward for effect. "Tatsumi, Naruto, how would you like to join Night Raid?"

"Uhh...we're gonna die if we don't right?" The farmboy asked hesitantly. After what just occurred it certainly didn't seem like disposing them would take much effort.

"No, we won't kill you." She answered, both future assassins looking up in surprise. "But we wouldn't let you leave either." Naruto's brows scrunched together. There was a catch. Of course.

"You'd become laborers in our factory. So we won't take your life, but I do encourage you to join." She looked over at the blond. "Well, maybe not you. You don't have to join."

"Hey!"

"I…" Tatsumi clenched his fist, thinking back to his village, to the family he'd always wanted,

To Sayo, and Iyesu…

"I needed to raise money, for my home. I thought the Capital was a good place to start, until I was actually there. It wasn't even two hours before I was scammed." Nearby, Leone held the back of her head sheepishly, finding the wallpaper suddenly interesting. "And then, the whole thing with Aria…" He droned, everyone already aware of what happened that day.

"Tatsumi." Bulat called. "The Capital's corruption is causing poverty all across the countryside, enter you two. Don't you want to stop it all at the source? Like a man would?" He asked.

Najenda smiled, already knowing their answer. "Bulat was a high ranking officer before he realized just what the Capital was behind closed doors, and joined us." She explained.

"If nothing is done than the Capital will only remain the same, so it's up to us to take out the bastards responsible whenever we can." He said.

"But that doesn't guarantee anything." Naruto argued, his face injuries having already healed, now only sporting a small bump on his cheek. "So we clean up a bit, then what? All it does is make space for the dirt that's gonna take it's place later. And poverty is still an issue."

"That's correct." Najenda said, anticipating a similar response. "And that's why Night Raid is best for the both of you."

"I don't think I understand" The farmboy said

"There's an anti-empire group based south of the Capital; the revolutionary army."

"An entire army? But I thought everyone who didn't agree was executed." The blond questioned. That was what Aria's guard told him, anyway.

"They usually are. The revolutionary army made it out of the Capital before that could happen. They started out small, but soon grew into quite the formidable organization. They needed a separate unit specializing in covert operations such as recon, espionage." She paused, her lips curving upwards. "Assassinations. That's us, and hopefully, you as well."

The boss received conflicted looks in return. "We're only extinguishing one flame at a time temporarily, but soon, when the revolutionary army calls for it, amidst the chaos, we'll head straight for the cause of this mess at the source," The hand she held out clenched into a fist. "And assassinate the prime minister."

They were going to...kill him? The thought of ending such an official so high ranked made Tatsumi feel a bit nauseated.

Naruto had similar thoughts. While he begrudgingly agreed that the prime minister had to die for change for change to happen, he wasn't sure about the emperor. From what he was told, he was just a kid. He didn't deserve to die just because someone else was pulling the strings.

"It has to be done." Akame said, noticing his hands having turned to fists.

"I know that." He said. "But if the Capital got a new start, everyone would be safe, and happy again?"

"I guarantee it." Najenda responded with absolute certainty.

Naruto smirked. "...Well alright then! Let's change the Capital, and take out the trash one by one, together! Everyone's waiting!" He finished, raising his fist in the air.

Najenda smiled. She hadn't seen determination like that in a while. "I take it you're joining, then."

"Damn straight!"

"What about you, Tatsumi?" The boss moved on, the rest of Night Raid following.

All were staring expectantly. "Well, yeah. Yeah! Killing the bad guys, ensuring everyone's safety, you're all a rogue team of assassins, but for the sake of justice!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone in the room, save for Naruto, laughed almost hysterically at his proclamation. Justice? Ha! "Tatsumi, no matter how you look at it, we're still murderers!" Leone said between laughs.

"No justice, or glory is found in what we do." Sheele added on.

"And at any given moment, any one of us could be forced to attone for the blood we've spilled." Bulat supported.

"God Leone where do you find these people? It'll be million years before they're fit to be assassins." The pink clad assassin chided, walking away.

"Whaddya mean these people, what did I say?" The blond bleated.

"Hold on." Tatsumi said. "I'll be payed for this, right?"

"Yes. And if you work hard enough you'll be able to save your village." The boss assured.

"...Then I'll do it! Let me join Night Raid!" The farmboy practically demanded.

"Me too!"

Mine observed them. They were so pure now. Amateurs usually died with that attitude. "You probably won't come back as heroes." She reminded.

"That doesn't matter. Just as long as they're taken care of."

Mild amusement crossed Najenda's face. This would definitely be interesting from here on out. "Then it's settled. Prepare yourselves for a life unlike any other. Welcome to Night Raid. You're all dismissed for the night."

"But Akame." She called. "You're in charge of the blond one."

Said blond paled.

"Feel free to kill him if he becomes too much of a nuisance."

He nearly fainted. She already kicked his ass once (twice just now) already.

"No problem." Akame agreed.

'No problem?!' Naruto thought.

"Tatsumi, you're with Leone." She decided, to which the farmboy became just as pale as the blond not moments before.

"Oh no." He bleated.

"Yep! Better not annoy me too much!" She chirped, already wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Tatsumi almost wished he could trade partners.

He was so dead.

 **Author's Note: It's short, I know, but it is only part 1 after all, only a cliffhanger.**

 **I'll get to the mission part and everything else next chapter.**

 **On to Naruto: At this point, he's the loud-mouthed, hyperactive idiot we all know and love now. But over time, as he progresses as an assassin, he'll mature, and be just a bit more collected, like post-timeskip Naruto. That'll take time however.**


	3. Kill the Authority! pt 2

**Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to another installation of the Number One, Hyperactive, Knucklehead Assassin. Try saying that five times fast!**

 **Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the story, and thanks to the readers who dropped the reviews. For the reviewer who asked of Naruto was an OC with the name Naruto Uzumaki...I'm not sure if I completely understand. If you're asking if he's from the naruverse or something, he isn't, he was born in the agk universe. No interdimensional kamui here.**

 **And some background info: In Japanese mythology, Namazu is a giant catfish said to live under the islands of Japan, in the mud, and causes violent earthquakes by thrashing about when his jailer, Kashima lets his guard down. Because of the recent quake there in Japan, I apologize if my writing seems insensitive. You've been warned just in case.**

 **Now, without further adue**

 **Chapter 3: Kill the Authority! Pt 2**

"Hey! Is ramen all you can cook?!"

"Yeah I'm getting kinda tired of noodles."

"Variety is important."

"We aren't hobos, y'know."

Naruto inhaled sharply, before exhaling and calmly returning to his "duties." After he joined Night Raid, the next day, after a not that good night's rest, he awoke with four mouths he apparently had to feed. Turned out Akame was Night Raid's head chef, until he came along that was.

And just as Mine insinuated, ramen was technically all he could cook without risking the base's destruction in a blaze of glory. If only he had a better co-chef…

"Dammit Akame quit sampling everything!" He barked. "Was that why I had to take over all the cooking?!"

Akame paused in her "sampling", taking a moment to regard the blond, before resuming. "I'm not sure what you mean. I'm only sampling the ingredients because you haven't requested my assistance."

Naruto only stared, seething just a bit on the inside, before remembering one important detail, "The hell's Tatsumi? He's new too why isn't he doing any of this crap?"

"He's with Leone." Lubbock answered. "Preferably training." He grumbled into his ramen.

Mine looked at the blond with amusement. "Y'know, I think it's pretty fitting. Too bad you're a terrible cook." She jeered, looking into her food with mock confusion. "Or maybe I'm just not getting it. Ramen is supposed to be the greatest delicacy in existence, isn't it?"

"It is! Don't diss ramen like that!" Naruto scolded, peering behind. "You can't spell ramen without an amen can you?"

Bulat chuckled. "Very clever Naruto." He complimented, before standing up in his chair, the others following. "Now, we should get going."

Naruto paused cutting the onions. "Whaddya mean? Going where, a mission?" The blond asked, setting his apron down. "Why aren't I going with?"

"You? come with? Ha! You're nowhere near our level to take on a mission. You'd probably die before we even entered the stronghold." Mine thought on that. "On second thought, you should probably come with."

"Alright!" Naruto ran for his equipment, but Akame gripped him by the collar, halting any further movement. When he looked back, she was still eating a jalepeño, unfazed.

The wielder of Incursio sighed. "Mine, must you be so hard on the rookie? It's very...very" Bulat began, unable to find the right words to describe his teammate without potentially angering her.

"Rude?" Lubbock guessed.

"Unpleasant?" Akame added.

"Bitchy?" Naruto finished, leaning on the counter, arms folded. It wasn't as though he was exaggerating. Mine was absolutely unbearable! She belittled him, scolded him, and found something to go on about every few seconds! It was so annoying. How was he supposed to accel in his brand new occupation when one of people there were so...y'know...

"...Bitchy?" The pink clad assassin repeated, before pulling out a massive piece of artillery seemingly out her pocket, revealing just how small and yet dangerous she truly was. "I'll show you bitchy! Get em' pumpkin!"

"Gah!" The intended target luckily ducked just in time, the laser beam instead destroying the shelf decorated wall. The blond looked behind him, examining the damage of what almost blasted him into oblivion not moments ago.

Naruto turned towards Akame. "Why didn't you do anything, aren't you supposed to look out for me!?" He demanded, waving his arms for effect.

"Your survival isn't guaranteed if you become too much of a nuisance, that's what the boss said." She reminded, munching on a tomato.

"Auggh, why is everyone here so weird?" The blond sulked.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Mine waved him off, a smug grin adorning her features. "Whatever. You stay in the kitchen while we're out. Now be a good cook, and have some dinner ready when we're back. I have a craving for lasagna today." She patronized, ambling away.

Bulat silently gave his apologies for her behavior, before leaving the kitchen as well, Lubbock and Sheele following.

…

Despite the rather shaky morning, the following hike through the forest wasn't that bad. He and Akame passed the tree he got slammed into while fighting the evil bird from the day before. Eventually they reached a small caldera, with a waterfall up ahead.

The waterfall itself was pretty cool, at least in Naruto's opinion. Drizzling onto the rocks below, the aquarium blue liquid tumbled down the mountain above. Naruto could barely make out the form of multiple fish jetting through the water when he looked down.

"What are we doing here?" He asked, setting down the barrel pack on the ground

"Collecting fish for dinner." Akame answered. He figured as much, he did carry a barrel through the forest after all. But if they were finding food, he figured with the barrel they'd be picking up berries, or crops or something. There wasn't at least a garden somewh–

"Gah!" The blond stumbled and fell on his rear, blushing mad, on the verge of a nosebleed.

Akame had already finished undressing to a white two piece underneath her clothing.

Naruto flusteredly shielded his eyes, trying not that hard to forget the newfound knowledge that his fellow assassin possessed c-cup breasts.

"Is there something wrong?" Akame asked, hopefully oblivious to the multitude of thoughts running through Naruto's perverted mind. Why did everyone on Night Raid have to be so hot?!

Akame ignored his hesitance, walking to the edge of the cliff, preparing for a dive. "The target is Coga Tuna." She informed. "See how much you could find."

Coga Tuna, huh? "Bet I could catch more than you." He challenged, having recovered from his flustered bout not moments ago.

Akame stopped just before her descent, responding without looking behind to fully regard the blond. "I find that highly unlikely." She continued before Naruto could retort. "But if competition is what motivates you, then let's make a deal."

A deal? With a crazy lady? Sure. "What kind of deal?"

For this she turned around, gesturing towards the water. "While Coga Tuna is the target here, the Namazu is said to reside somewhere within the waterfall."

"Namazu? Isn't that the big catfish that causes earthquakes?"

"Yes. The one who manages to catch it first receives all fish caught today. If neither of us spot it by dinnertime, we won't eat." Let's see if he could stick to a target.

She wasn't sure when Night Raid had last eaten catfish, anyway.

"What happens to the one who finds it but doesn't catch it?" Naruto asked, impatiently tapping his cheek with his index finger.

"He dies."

Naruto nearly choked on his own spit. The aloof and detached eyes of hers seeming to peer into his very _soul_ definitely didn't help, not to mention the frighteningly casual tone she used. Akame even insinuated the blond would be the loser, and in extension, the one to die when she used "he" in her response. He knew this was a sucker's bet, there was no way in hell he would go through with this.

But Akame didn't give him time to object, instead somersaulting into the water, wishing him good luck.

"Dammit!" Naruto quickly removed his shirt, and pulled down his pants, pitting him against the elements in nothing but his boxer shorts. "Gotta find that fish," He said, plunging into the water below.

Within seconds tuna fish were shooting out of the water and into the bucket above. The blond swam to the surface, gasping for air, trying to figure out just how the the assassin managed to capture that many fish that quickly.

Luckily, Akame rose to the surface as well, ready to explain. "You have to swim all the way down to the bottom, concealing your aura, before making your move. Quick action is necessary. Try it." She instructed, before descending to the sea floor to repeat the process.

Therefore increasing her chances of winning the bet and finding that damn catfish.

"Crap!" The blond panicked, breast stroking his way to the bottom, waiting. Watching the assassin catch three more tuna in her hand wasn't exactly encouraging. But how'd she do it?

It didn't matter. He had to find the Namazu. Checking his aquatic surroundings, he was lucky to have found what looked to be a cavern entrance. The blond swam to it, pistoning his feet for acceleration. But Akame beat him to it, gliding past him and into the cavern entryway.

He sped up after her, entering the subterranean space and rising to the surface, breathless. He saw Akame waiting on a platform embedded into the cave's foundation.

"You went straight for the Namazu, disregarding the target completely." She said, folding her arms.

"You said if I don't catch it I wouldn't eat." Naruto argued.

If Akame had been one to show frequent emotion, she would have sighed. "But you don't even know if the Namazu is real."

Naruto's frowned. "Isn't it?"

"I never said for sure."

"Yes you did."

"No, I said it was theorized to reside here. I never stated it exist." She said, before walking away deep into the cavern, her form fading in the darkness. Was she able to see in the dark?

The blond considered leaving for the surface, but quickly pushed that thought away. He'd never abandon a teammate, even if she did try to kill him more than once. So he ran after her, frowning when he discovered he needed a light source to advance much further. "Hey, uhh...Akame!" He called, cupping his mouth with one hand, leaning forward.

"Yes?" He heard her respond in the distance.

"Did you happen to see a torch, or a flashlight on your way in here?"

"I don't think so."

Crap. "Okay." He'd have to go back, there was no way around it. "I'll be right back, promise!" With that he leaped into the water, on his way to retrieve his machete, and maybe a branch or two, if he could somehow keep it dry enough to make a torch.

Meanwhile, as Akame ventured throughout the cave, she continued the evaluation of Night Raid's newest member. He was determined, stubborn, and possessed boundless energy. But he got distracted easily, and it was more than likely he could potentially switch targets in favor of another one during a mission. That wasn't good. Assassins never strayed from the task at hand. Leone was merely an exception.

He would require work, that had been guaranteed from the very start. But at least she knew what to focus on specifically. A distracted assassin was a dead assassin, that's what the boss once said.

Akame froze, her head snapping towards the detected movement from the stream next to her.

Just as she remembered her sword wasn't anywhere on her.

Maybe Namazu was real.

Without warning, the ground shook, nearly throwing her off balance. After the movement, came the quakes, that's what the stories always foretold. The shaken stalagmites rained down from above, but Akame was fast enough to narrowly avoid some while retaining equilibrium.

Then suddenly, the ground ceased vibration, and the assassin would have fallen had something -or someone- not caught her. She looked up, and saw Naruto's concerned expression.

Too close. Especially since they were only in their swimwear.

"You okay?" He asked, only to be shoved away, landing on his rear. "Hey! Don't push me like that. I can't see a thing in here!"

"Sorry." She apologized. "I'm fine." Akame assured, before assuming her indifferent disposition. She spotted his machete, strapped to it's holster on his arm.

"Good." He said, removing the sheath from the holster, with an opening at the top portion. It was a good thing it was flammable, made for similar situations. Sparks flew as the blond scraped the blade against a rock he picked up off the ground, and eventually the entire scabbard caught on fire, save for the handle.

Improvised torch. Very practical.

"This'll buy us a few minutes. Smart, isn't it?" His mega-watt smiled yearned for acknowledgment.

"It is. Now, let's continue." The Namazu could make up for the tuna lost if they caught it.

…

"Y'know what cheers me up when I'm not feeling a hundred percent?" Leone asked, hooking an arm around her partner's shoulder. He'd been real pissy after his training session. But, maybe it was well deserved; she did push him into an Earth Dragon den. Before she left.

"Force people into your bre-" Tatsumi replied, interrupted when Leone did just as expected.

"I wasn't gonna say that. You don't have boobs to shove people into." She smirked over his struggles, before pulling him out, Tatsumi's hair still in her grasp. "Right?"

He flusteredly scrambled to a safe distance, into a clearing, cheeks ablaze. "O-of course I don't!" He sputtered, almost falling over an overhang.

"Alright, just making sur- _woah_." The blonde recognized the all-familiar orange garments, in spitting distance to the collared black mini dress which lay forgotten, in a heap atop a red tie. Instinctively, her golden eyes shone in a mischievous glint.

"Where are they?" The farmboy inquired, innocently looking into the forest from which they came.

Meanwhile Leone's smile grew cheshire. "Lubbock's gonna love this. I might have to start calling him pimpruto." she quipped, chuckling at Tatsumi's tomato face.

"N-no way! They probably just went to get fish or something!"

"In their underwear?"

"Maybe! Akame's weird like that, isn't she?"

The busty blonde gripped her chin, thoughtful contemplation prevalent. "Well, I guess so." And although the barrel was only half-full of tuna fish, their underwear weren't in the pile. So maybe they _weren't_ off doing the nasty somewhere else and were simply catching fish.

That meant while she and Tatsumi had been conversating for three minutes, give or take, Akame and her trainee had to be in the water at this very moment.

Akame's limit was two minutes, and Naruto was only a rookie.

As the blonde was just about to dive into the water, the ground shook, and Tatsumi lost his sense of balance completely. While he fell on his rear, Leone only stumbled a bit, before reclaiming equilibrium.

Then, as fast as they came, the seismic activity ceased. "What the hell was that?" Tatsumi demanded, panic taking residence in his expression.

"You've never been in an earthquake before?"

"A what?"

Then, the quakes returned, this time in even greater vibrations. Tatsumi struggled to stand without falling back down.

Leone hobbled over to the edge of the waterfall, looking into the freshwater, squinting to barely make out a very large, dark blur lurching in the marine terrain.

Was that…?

"Namazu?" She mused aloud, barely audible over the thunderous rumbling. It was real? When she told Akame about it it was supposed to be a joke, she didn't think she would actually try and kill it! And with a newbie to boot! She had to go in there.

…

"Did you hear that?" Naruto asked, looking back at the tunnel's entrance.

"Yes." Akame replied looking behind as well. "We should return." The makeshift torch was beginning to burn out, and so far their efforts remained fruitless. The only lead they had was the small flash of movement the assassin saw earlier.

They turned, pacing to the beginning of the tunnel.

…

All while outside, Leone was fighting a giant catfish in water, Lionelle activated.

' _This thing is huge, and fast!'_ Namazu traversed like a drunken idiot, thrashing about, swimming into the sea wall repeatedly, as if only to make a commotion. It was almost ignoring her, only engaging when she swam too close. And even then it continued once far away enough.

Swimming up once out of breath, the blonde was relieved to see Akame and her student climbing up the cliff, fortunately avoiding the Namazu's path, only stumbling a bit in their ascendance.

When they reached the top, Naruto found Tatsumi staggering to his feet, his hand barely gripping his sword. The blond helped him up, hooking an arm over Tatsumi's shoulder. It was difficult to hear over the thunderous noise the earthquake was creating. "Catfish!" He explained in the farmboy's ear.

"Namazu?!" He asked, apparently aware of the folktale.

"Yeah!"

Tatsumi looked out into the waterfall "I thought it was a legend, not an actual danger beast!"

"So did I!"

"We have to kill it!" Akame cut in, picking up her katana, from her clothes pile, unsheathing it.

"You don't say!" Leone remarked, suddenly next to her. "This thing doesn't have a set course! It just thrashes everywhere! It even ignored _me_!"

Naruto had an idea. "Akame, that sword of your's," the earthquake stopped momentarily, before ultimately resuming. "There's something special to it, right?!"

Akame gave a blank stare, not understanding the blond's reasoning behind his question. "Yes! It is coated in a poison that kills on contact!" She informed.

Leone got the Idea. "So all you have to do is slash at it and It'll croak?!"

She got it too. "Theoretically!" Akame said.

"Well, get on with it then!" Naruto all but demanded. The red-eyed assassin complied, diving into the waterfall, blade drawn. The Namazu was unaware of her intentions, instead opting to crash into the surrounding walls of the caldera. Akame shot down, only grazing the beast by it's fin.

Gaining it's full undivided attention.

The giant catfish switched points of interests, propelling itself to the assassin. The last thing Akame saw was darkness, before the Namazu swallowed her whole.

All seismic activity stopped, along with Namazu.

And had the red-eyed assassin not had her blade with her, she wouldn't have been able to cut her way out of the catfish. She slashed from the inside, creating an exit, and stood atop the Namazu, covered in gore. Akame blankly looked between the now-dead fish, and her friends, before Naruto voiced exactly what was on her mind.

Practically beaming, he victoriously yelled, "We're eating good tonight everyone!" That should be enough for the rest of the month, if Akame's appetite wasn't as monstrous as his ramen craving.

…

And eat good they did.

Everyone at the table was silent, gladly enjoying their dinner. The only noises audible were the clinks and clanks of silverware, followed by the occasional request for another serving.

While he muched on his cooked catfish, Naruto's thoughts drifted to his new occupation. He hadn't been able to completely process everything just yet.

And not without reason; everything was progressing so fast. Only three days ago, the blond wanted to not only relieve his village of it's massive debt, but to also change the Capital, after occupying it for a day before he ran into Night Raid. Now, he was an assassin, a murderer, but killed for the sake of peace and justice, like Tatsumi insinuated the day before.

He had already wanted to change the Capital, and now he was. He just didn't think he'd have to kill so much to do it. He assumed it would be through the right way, by rising in the ranks and helping those less fortunate around the Capital. And although It had already been sinking in, after what happened at Aria's mansion, two days prior, something snapped. It was when he realized there was no such thing as the "right way" in that cursed city. Only the corrupt and immoral made it, everyone else was lunch meat.

But that didn't mean it was hopeless. It just meant it would take a hell of an effort, hard work, and determination. He promised he would change the Capital, and he would no matter what! "I never go back on my word!"

Suddenly all eyes were on him, and he lowered his fist back down to the table, silently giving his apologies.

Najenda thought to further break the silence. "So I was told you all fought off Namazu?" She asked, sipping her cup of tea across from the blond.

Naruto dropped his dinner, excited to tell her the story of how he single-handedly defeated the legendary Namazu catfish. "Yeah, it was awesome! It just came out of nowhere, but we were ready."

"Oh really?"

"Mhmm. You should've seen Akame, she just went in there, and then _BAM_ , it's dead!" Naruto gestured wildly throughout his recollection, amusing the boss.

"No thanks to Tatsumi over here." Leone laughed, looping an arm around the farmboy to her right, granting the him a generous view of her breasts. "What's the matter, did wa big earphquwake scarwe wittle Tatsumi?" She mocked, bursting out laughing when he muttered a meek "No.", before letting him go.

"That-that earthquake kept tipping me over that was it!" He defended, a healthy blush adorning his features.

While Tatsumi attempted to defend his immasculinity, Akame's thoughts followed a certain blond to her left as she ate, tuning out Leone's laughter.

He seemed familiar. Not as though she knew him before personally; there was no way she wouldn't have recognized someone with such a strong admiration for the color orange like Naruto. It was more like, she'd seen him before, even if it he was probably in the background.

She wanted to say it was his hair, but she encountered many people with blond locs in her lifetime, i.e. Leone, so that possibility was out.

So what was it? Maybe his whisker marks? She'd never seen them on anyone else before.

Sparing him a glance, she sighed. It would be presented in it's own time.

"Leone." Najenda called from her spot in the head of the table, gaining her attention. "What have you learned."

"Enough to determine the targets." She said, sliding two portrait sketches over for the boss to see. Two targets, one with eyes too far apart to be considered normal, along with an almost disgusting grin on his hideously blemished face. The other, wore a smirk filled with malicious intent, one that screamed "I could break you". With an eye missing, probably middle aged given the gray hairs on the sides. Not that it mattered much, he looked pretty stacked in the picture. "Ogre, of the Imperial Guard, and Gamal the oil merchant."

"Wait, _that's_ why you ran off when you left me in the dragon den? You couldn't just bring me with, or better yet, leave me here?!" Tatsumi demanded.

Ignoring the bickering from the seat across, Naruto looked at the oil guy with minor disgust, assuming he was badly beaten with the fabled ugly stick. Repeatedly. He winced when Leone swatted Tatsumi across the head to be quiet.

"According to my source, Ogre's been taking bribes from the oil merchant. So that when he gets himself into trouble, Ogre finds a way to put the blame on someone else." The blonde briefed, before placing a large sack of cash atop the sketches. "She payed upfront."

"How did she even have that much to give?" Naruto asked in bewilderment, to which Leone's grip on her folded arms tightened.

"She smelled sickly. She was probably selling her body."

The blond looked down. "Oh." Prostitution. To think that the country had fallen so low. He held his fork dangerously tight, grinding his teeth together. "He'll pay." He growled.

Lighting a cigarette, Najenda seeked clarification. "And he's guilty."

"Yes."

"Then it's settled. Night Raid accepts this assignment. In the nation we're trying to create, there's no room for trash like them." She decided, exhaling smoke.

"The oil merchant shouldn't be a problem. It's Ogre that should be a pain. The man's a demon. He's very skilled in swordsmanship, even hitmen are scared of him. His subordinates are always surrounding him; he's never alone, and so careful that Gamal delivers payment to his private quarters only." Leone supplied.

' _So how're we supposed to get this bastard?!"_ Naruto thought

"But on his days off, he goes out drinking, by the palace."

"So we'll strike then?" Tatsumi questioned

"Of course. But it's heavily guarded; we can't send Akame, I trust you saw the wanted posters?" Najenda contributed.

Leone knew an opportunity when she saw one. "So duh~! Send me! There aren't any posters of me yet." She requested, raising her hand.

His new nickname didn't faze him anymore. "Yeah, send me too!" Naruto practically demanded, slamming a palm on the dinner table, in turn rattling the surrounding silverware. "People like him, they're even worse than trash!"

"So you think you could take out the trash hotshot?" Leone asked, ruffling her fellow blond's hair.

"Of course I can! I killed an apeman on the way to this damn country!" He boasted, displacing Leone's palm from his hair.

"And that means you could kill Ogre yourself?" Najenda facetiously asked, blowing smoke into the air.

"Damn right it does!" This was his chance to prove himself, dammit!

"I feel like we should wait until the others return." Akame advised.

"But we don't know when they'll be back, and it sounds like we're being pressed for time if today's Ogre's day off." The farmboy disagreed.

"True." Leone acknowledged.

"So we'll just go without em'." Tatsumi palmed the dinner table, confident.

The blonde only chuckled. "Y'know, Tatsumi, you really shouldn't talk big shit like that. We might just make you back it up."

"Just because you could kill an Earth Dragon doesn't mean you could kill Ogre, a master swordsman. Honestly Tatsumi, you're beginning to sound like Naruto." Najenda remarked.

"Hey, don't pick on him! Maybe I inspired someone today." Naruto said proudly, patting the farmboy's shoulder.

"And you're sure you can pull it off?" Najenda made sure.

"Of course we can. People like these are the reason I even stood in the Capital." Naruto revealed, pure determination taking over. "We'll take him out, easy." He smirked.

"But neither of you can kill him." Akame deadpanned, biting into a piece of fish.

"What? We're not expert fighters yet but-."

"I meant you can't kill. _Period."_

"..." Naruto halted completely when he realized that Akame...she was right. He had killed Aria out of rage only, and even then the blond couldn't even sleep that night. But that didn't mean he couldn't kill. He just _hated_ it. It made him feel like a monster.

 _Like he was always told._ "That's not true."

Tatsumi glanced at his teammate. What was he talking about? When Tatsumi first met him, the blond seemed like the stereotypical happy go lucky farmkid. "What do you mea-"

"None of your business." He spat, releasing the grip he had on the farmboy's shoulder. He said that every time he asked! And Tatsumi was the only one who even bothered!

" _Please,_ just let me do this. Let me prove myself." Naruto pleaded.

Najenda considered it, eyeing him carefully. While the blond didn't seem like assassin material when she first met him, he clearly experienced and knew more than he let on. But still, Naruto appeared to be the type to get distracted easily, and maybe even switch priorities completely, much like Leone.

Tatsumi however, was still pure, untainted, even if he was trained in the art of the blade. He still hadn't gotten his first kill yet. According to the report, Naruto beat him in that regard, if it was even his first.

All reasons to send the both of them. This mission would decide whether they remained assassins, or died trying. So Najenda caved. "I admire your determination. So fine Naruto, Tatsumi. You may accompany Leone and Akame."

"Sweet!"

"You won't regret this!"

"Alright then, I want you ladies to focus on the Gamal, while you two deal with Ogre. Consider it a final test." Najenda consented, placing her burned out cigarette in the ash tray.

"Understood."

"Gotcha."

"Consider it done."

"Alright!"

…

The sun was setting, the air crisp, and the palace streets full, crowded, lively.

The perfect cover for any assassin, especially one who blended in as easily as Naruto.

But not because he was sneaky, because he wasn't. Not in the bright orange he was so fond of. He was just so loud and brash that any onlookers passing by would immediately overlook him and move on their merry way. After all, no one would suspect the loud-mouthed idiot capable of hiding what he even had for breakfast, let alone anything of importance, alleviating any suspicion held against him.

He was kinda like Leone. Except while he was merely ignored, Leone was very much revered, all while hiding in plain sight, mainly because she was _smokin_ ' hot. So hot that the women who passed by avoided her out of jealousy, and the men around her were too distracted to even put two and two together, proven when Leone managed to scam Tatsumi out of literally _all_ his money.

Clever strategy. The art of seduction was said to be any woman's greatest asset, after all.

Tatsumi was a bit of a wallflower. He wasn't loud and brash like Naruto, but he wasn't quiet enough where it caused suspicion. He mingled here and there, only speaking when spoken too. He blended in almost perfectly.

"This is main street." Leone informed, releasing the blond from his observational train of thought. "You memorized the map like I told you two?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, I got it." Akame's words after dinner must've rung in Tatsumi's mind like church bells.

Cause' they blared in his.

" _Don't enter a confrontation assuming you'll win. Death awaits you otherwise."_

"And he's in there?" Naruto asked, pulling down the sleeves to his new hoodie, making sure his machete holster remained hidden. Leone suggested he and Tatsumi get new clothes to blend in further, as only people from the countryside wore what they did. The last thing they needed was to stand out, especially for a mission like this. He picked it out himself, luckily finding an orange hoodie with the sleeves and hood orange, and the torso jet black.

"Of course, same bar."

Looking between the farmboy's thoughtful expression, and Leone's concerned look, it was no surprise when she tried to shed some light on Akame's disposition. "Let me tell you a bit about Akame's past."

But he didn't expect it to be through her origins.

"What's said here stays here, alright?" The blonde said, now in front of the both of them. She continued after they assured confidentiality. "When she was a kid she was sold, along with her sister, to the Empire."

Naruto remained quiet. He hadn't expected a happy beginning, especially in a place like this, but for her to have actually been _sold_. It just made him sick to his stomach. Tatsumi looked like he was having similar thoughts.

"They were placed in an assassin training camp with other abandoned children. She learned how to survive the harsh environment, and the art of murder. She grew up an extension of the Empire's will, blindly doing whatever she was told. But as she got older, she started to question her real purpose, figuring out just how corrupted the Empire really was. Then, one day, she was sent to assassinate the boss, and left a member of the Revolutionary Army. But by then, most of the people she grew up with were dead. Leone explained. "You see what I'm getting at?"

"Yeah, yeah. Rookies like us don't get it." Tatsumi paraphrased, folding his arms and looking away.

Leone smiled at his blissful ignorance. "Well, if you live after today, you will."

"So what's the plan?"

And here's where things got interesting.

"Plan? You're the hitmen now, you _make_ the plan." The blonde grinned, before walking in the opposite direction. "See you two later!"

"W-wait!" The farmboy tried running after her, but something held him in place. Looking back, he saw Naruto gripping his hood and collar in one hand, looking up ahead and into the palace district.

"Alright, let's go."

…

Leone stalked her prey silently, making sure he couldn't hear her with those ears too small and yet too big for his hideous face, proven to make even blind men cry.

"Heh, still livin' the dream." He boasted, counting the money for his most recent bribe.

Lion paws revealed themselves from the shadows, and arms wrapping themselves around Gamal's neck. "Not for long."

Then, a blade found its way into the man's chest, it's one cut poison slowly taking effect. Akame thrusted the blade further, almost relishing in his silent cries of pain had it not been for her training to clear her mind in similar situations. "You're done." She said, her red eyes emotionless.

Finally she dislodged her sword, and the oil merchant fell, dead.

Leone chuckled, leaning on a wall. "Heh, that was easy. Wonder how the rookies are doing."

…

Imperial uniform? Check.

Muscular frame? Check.

Graying hair? Check.

"Nothing like finishing off a day of torture by knockin' back a cold one." Gruff, hoarse voice? Check.

"Yo, scruffy." He called, keeping his head down so his face wasn't visible. He smirked when Ogre turned around, obviously not pleased with his new nickname.

"What was that?" He growled, dangerously low.

"I got something I need to talk to you about. Something important." Naruto explained, secretly reaching for his machete in his sleeve from inside his sweater pocket.

"Yeah, what is it?" Ogre folded his arms, just about ready to waste this kid, had there not been civilians around. He probably could've anyway. It wasn't as though the blond was actually a threat. He was scrawny, his hair was unkempt, he wore an ugly orange hoodie, and from what little he could see of his face under the hood wore, what stood out most were those ridiculous whisker marks...

"Well," Naruto peered left then right, pretending to look for possible onlookers, knowing they were all around. "We have to speak in private."

…

The sun had already set by the time the blond led Ogre to a discarded alleyway a few ways away. Now he was just going over the plan in his head, hoping Tatsumi remembered as well.

While they were looking for the police captain, the two had concurred that the farmboy would be the one to deliver the finishing blow, not Naruto. He insisted he have his first kill that same day, for reasons of his own, probably to impress Akame or something. The blond had tried to convince Tatsumi otherwise, that his "reasons" were insignificant on their own. This sort of thing wasn't something meant to be rushed just because someone wanted to prove someone wrong.

A bit hypocritical on his part, but the arguement still held significance.

Meanwhile, back to the present. ' _I'm not feeling anything from this kid. He's planning something.'_ Ogre thought. "Alright, start talking. I gotta get home sometime."

Naruto smiled at the irony of the situations, and quickly drew his blade, lunging at the police captain. He slashed once, twice, growing frustrated when Ogre maneuvered his way out of each stroke.

He almost chuckled at his opponent's shoddy attacks. When the kid gouged for his abdomen, he seized the opportunity presented, gripping his wrist, before hurtling the blonde to the wall.

"Heh, it's been awhile since anyone's tried something like that. You've got guts kid." Ogre complimented, grasping the hilt of his sword. "But since this is a battle of blades, it's only fair." While he could have easily finished the boy without his sword, he had a reputation to maintain.

He wasn't named "the demon" for nothing.

"Especially since it's a two on one." He revealed, drawing his blade just as another kid, one in a white hoodie, stormed in immediately when his cover was blown. The two clashed numerously, their movements blurs to the untrained eye.

"Y'know," The captain began, sidestepping a diagonal slash, before returning it with a downward hack, forcing the unnamed challenger to his knees from the crazy amount of pressure he was contributing. "Locating you wasn't hard; all it took was that one flare of intent you emitted, even if it was for a just moment."

Naruto grunted, forcing himself to his feet a few yards away, before barrelling into the match. He had to numb the heavy amount of pain he felt in his back, machete raised in one hand.

Just before knocking Tatsumi away, the captain glanced behind him, then engaged the blond in a sword skirmish. Naruto dodged a majority of the attacks thrown.

Tatsumi wasted no time stepping in when he recovered from his previous disregardment.

Ogre switched between opponents effortlessly, blocking kicks, dodging advancements, and returning attacks when he could. The captain let them think they were overwhelming him until he maneuvered his sword in a vorticular motion so strong it sent the hitmen flying when they tried to block it.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're those Night Raid guys killing everyone in power. Am I wrong?" Following their silence, Ogre laughed triumphantly, as though he'd already won. "Well know this: No matter what any of you do, the strong will always rule this empire. Always had, always will! Your efforts mean absolutely nothing when I decide who lives and who dies!"

The blond grit his teeth together at the nerve of this bastard. No one got to decide who dies anymore! "I won't allow it!" He cried, leaping in the air. He threw his machete, aiming for the man's head.

But he only blocked. Ogre held his sword over his head horizontally before the large knife could do any damage, creating a makeshift platform for the blond to land on. "Tell me, who sent you? Was it the whore who's fiance I just executed?! He demanded, parrying Naruto off the blade and onto the ground. "Or was it the Namikaze bastard I got exiled?!" He asked excitedly, a sick glint in his eye.

' _Dammit!'_ Tatsumi bolted forward while Ogre was temporarily distracted. But this time, he didn't slash for the abdomen.

He went straight for his chest, the heart specifically.

The police captain gripped Tatsumi's wrist, completely halting his attack, then hacked diagonally with his free hand. He would've relished in the spurt of blood that would have flew from the hitman, had he not felt a dull pain in his forearm just before impact.

That was no longer there. Tatsumi looked up in awe, as Naruto soared above him and Ogre. "Tatsumi, do it!" He ordered.

 _ **Chulk!**_

The farmboy surged frontward, and separated Ogre's head from his body, sheathing his weapon when he heard the now deceased police captain fall to his knees, dead.

Naruto looked back at Ogre, noting decapitation as the farmboy's method of assassination. "We should get going."

"Yeah, let's go."

 **Author's note: New chapter, hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **I just wanted to say I'm really enjoying writing this story. Naruto in the agk universe just holds so much potential. From his origins, to his Teigu, even to who I pair him off with.** **And remember, Naruto's a pervert, he _knows_ everyone on Night Raid is attractive.**

 **Have any of you noticed his backstory is always a secret? Especially his parents?**

 **If you were paying attention, Ogre mentioned** _ **MINATO NAMIKAZE, NARUTO'S FATHER OOHHH BOY!**_ **And no Ogre didn't kill him, in case anyone was wondering. But what about his association with Ogre? Why was he exiled, is he even alive?(he isn't) And will his fate be revealed soon?**

 **Of course not. I'll get into that in like, ten chapters or something.**

 **Now onto Akame sensing familiarity in Naruto. No, he was not in the Elite Seven, and he's never been an assassin before. Everything he knows is self-taught. This isn't one of those fics where Naruto was in the empire as a child.**

 **But I'll give you a hint: He was in the forest.**

 **Who should his next instructor be? Drop a review if you have any suggestions.**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Kill your Curiosity! pt 1

Author's Note: Yo! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I didn't feel like making any of you wait any longer. So enjoy!

Chapter 4: Kill your Curiosity! Pt. 1

"Hyaa!" One of three men in Naruto's field of vision chucked a wooden spear, growling in frustration when it missed its intended target after the blond sidestepped it.

For tribal hitmen, you'd think they'd have better aim.

Bolting at his opponents, Naruto easily infiltrated the nearest warrior's space, dodging a knife swipe, before knocking him over with a roundhouse.

Eight men. Eight tribal hitmen were sent to sniff out the hideout then report back to whoever sent them. More than likely the Empire. So Naruto's trip to the dreamworld was once again rudely cut short by a certain busty blonde, who all but ushered him into the meeting room, where the green one Naruto had yet to learn the name of informed Night Raid of the eight men closing in awful fast to the base within the surrounding forest.

He switched targets, focusing on the one with the ugly tattoos trying to sneak up on him from behind. Unsheathing his machete from his sleeve, Naruto pivoted directly behind, slashing at the assassin who ultimately parried his attack.

But before he could advance further, the last opponent, a burly man, used his forearms to lift the blond.

While Naruto grit his teeth struggling in the mercenary's hold, one of the previously downed assassins lifted himself on his feet, walking over to the blond.

"Heh, You think they'll pay more if we bring back a head?" He asked his comrades, smirking even wider when they nodded yes.

Positioning his blade at Naruto's neck, he decided the mission was first priority. "Where's your base?" He interrogated, now invading the blond's personal space.

Before Naruto could spit in the tribal assassin's face, a laser beam found its way through the guy's forehead.

'Mine.' Naruto realized.

The warrior fell back, and the arms holding Naruto up fell limp, before he too fell forward altogether.

…

From afar, about four kilometers away, Mine held her massive weapon seemingly weightless in her hold. "Is he that easy to catch by surprise?" She planted a hand on her hip, unimpressed. She wasn't aware of the danger closing in from behind, a sword in his grasp.

Only to have been literally scissored in half, as the executioner silently gave her apologies.

"Thanks, Shelle."

…

The blond examined the casualties while in the forest. While the bullet hole in the tattooed one's head was no surprise, the hole in the big guy's forehead sure was.

That meant Mine was able to snipe both men down in one shot.

During his observation, he heard a crunching noise to his left. He peered his head to the source, seeing the man Naruto thought he defeated, the one he kicked over, break into a sprint upon realizing he caught his attention.

He was about to go after him too, when a large spear with a top maroon portion impaled the man, his form reeling heavily from the impact. Bulat stepped out soon after, Tatsumi following.

"Uhh, thanks." Naruto gazed at Bulat's armor with wonder, mentally deciding he wanted a weapon like that.

He saw the burly man walk over to the deceased tribal hitmen, whistling in acknowledgment upon seeing the damage done, "Did you do this?" He asked, crouching down to get a better look at the man's bandana.

"Nope. Mine."

"Figures." Bulat stood back up, tucking the bandana in his pocket when his armor somehow dematerialized itself.

Tatsumi walked over aside Naruto, "What do you mean?" He asked, placing his hands in his pockets.

"She's the only one of us with that kind of aim. Right next to boss, of course." He explained, grinning.

…

Najenda wasn't caught off guard very often. When she was, it was usually because she didn't have her Teigu, susanoo, there to inform her beforehand.

Yesterday was an exception, and it surrounded Night Raid's newest blond assassin. When he and Tatsumi returned from their assassination assignment, specifically. So an hour after she completed her morning errands, Najenda decided a smoke over a windowsill was the nice way to end the morning and welcome the afternoon.

It was when Akame surprised him with an unanticipated examination, luckily finding a large gash on his chest. She, along with everyone else in near vicinity, all watched in near disbelief and minor disturbance when the wound literally stitched itself back together. So after a thorough medical examination, Akame was able to conclude that the wound wasn't infected, he wasn't going to die, and he apparently possessed healing abilities, no Teigu necessary. How exactly was anyone else's guess.

And boy, did she guess, poke, and prod her way into all available intel on the blond within the Empire's records, which was frustratedly nothing.

But now that she remembered it, he did say he was from a nearby village, so the outcome was probably to be expected.

"Yo, granny." Naruto called from the doorway separating Najenda's quarters from the hallway.

The boss inhaled sharply, internally airing her grievances after her train of thought was rudely interrupted. She knew precisely what he was referring to. "It's hereditary you brat." She seethed, taking a moment to regard her silver locks before resuming her passive facade. "Call me that again and I'll rip your arm off."

"Noted," Naruto paled, reminding himself to create a new nickname for the boss. "But seriously, you never told me who I was partnered with today." He reminded, hand still on the doorhenge just in case the boss lived up to her threat.

She drew a puff of smoke, remembering who she picked as Naruto's instructor for the day. "Mine." She informed, facing the blond with a small smirk.

"...Could you pick just about anyone else?" He asked, slowly rotting on the inside. 'Not Mine, anyone but her!' The pinkette couldn't stand him for no reason, cursing the very air he breathed ever since he got there. It wasn't his fault he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it wasn't as if though could just up and leave anytime either. The blond was brought unceremoniously against his will.

"You'll see it's for the best." Had he not tried to nickname her granny, she probably would have teamed him up with Lubbock instead, and have Tatsumi in his current place. But to be honest, she wouldn't have minded if the blond returned to the base with a few bullet wounds, per Mine's Teigu, pumpkin. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, she's been sleeping in. You'll have to wake her up."

…

Naruto took aggravated steps to Mine's private quarters, almost sulking with his hands shoved into his pockets. 'What kind of assassin slept in?' he thought. Although the blond may have thought a bit hypocritically (He only rose out of bed early to make a possible escape that one time), that was far from the point. But it couldn't have been all bad; If the bubblegum banshee really was still asleep, he'd be able to deliver what he called, an the Morning Haul Wake up Call.

As in, he would sneak into her room, then howl as though the base was on fire. He expected Mine to scramble out of bed in a panicked frenzy, hence the label, morning haul.

That was enough to bring a mischievous smirk on Naruto's face as he quietly opened Mine's door.

On the other side, was the pinkette definitely not asleep, instead in the process of undressing. With her hands resting on her bra strap, Naruto was able to barely make out a birthmark on her petite frame that closely resembled flower petals of some kind…

Too bad his lingering eyes treaded far too close to her breasts.

Within seconds his observation was cut short, and any curiosity stuck in his system was replaced with fear of the flustered girl who, within seconds, shot a massive hole in the wall directly where he was standing. Naruto fortunately avoided obliteration, although narrowly. He was forced to cower next to the newly improvised exit, "This is the second time you've almost killed me!" He wailed, standing up.

"And the third time better be the charm, you damn pervert!" The barrel faced Naruto once more, beaming a bright yellow.

…

The following string of rumbles did little to affect Najenda, who sat at the dining table enjoying a smoke, already well aware of their origin. Shelle briefly looked up from her seat, before returning to her selected reading material. She was too far engrossed in her book to pay them any mind.

"Hey! What's goin' on, is there a festival or something?" Leone asked, poking her head out of the neighboring corridor.

The boss only chuckled. "Naruto's in for a long day."

…

Najenda's intuition hit home once again.

In the Capital's main district, walked ramen-addict Naruto, silently observing the citizens around him.

He was already well aware of their misery by the second day he occupied the Capital. The economy sucked and the government was very oppressive. Not to mention it's officers…smug bastards like their now-deceased captain, Ogre.

It almost made the Capital seem like such a lost cause, a sucker's bet. But that was why Naruto decided to unofficially promise it's future peace. To him, there was no such thing as a lost cause. He'd been called one lots of times, and look at him now. A badass assassin/revolutionary, dedicated to liberating the Capital. Those were pretty cool things to put on anyone's bucket list if you asked him!

But...he still didn't trust most of Night Raid just yet. He'd been screwed over far too many times for that, even though the bonds he tried to creat were most important to him. That never stopped them from being severed though, time and time again, making it almost seem too good to be true when the blond met people who shared the same ideals as he.

So of course, Naruto was a bit hesitant when he was rather forcefully brought back to Night Raid's base and made into an assassin. That was why he woke up extra early that one time. The blond was hoping to avoid his new teammates, and maybe even find an escape.

But after seeing the green one's strings surrounding the forest along with the base, that probably wasn't the best idea.

It was strange, Naruto rarely thought so deeply. He was a more, "in the moment" kind of guy who did things without thinking of the repercussions first.

"Pervert, walk faster! I don't have all day servant!" Mine called several feet away from the blond. Boss had told her her servant for the day would be Tatsumi, not this...dumbass dandelion!

"Servant? I'm just your student for the day, I'm not and your servant, I'll die first!" He opposed, walking past her and nearly fading into the crowd. Maybe Ichiraku's hadn't run out of ramen yet?

"Where do you think you going? You're the one following me, not the other way around." The pinkette emphasized, fists resting on her hips.

"Yeah, I'm not one to follow expectations, so I'm getting outta here. But you could come if you want." His smirk grew smug, knowing full well that Mine was correct, and she'd be far too stubborn to actually follow him.

He could be rid of her, momentarily.

At least, he thought so.

"We still have to inspect the Capital y'know!"

Naruto stopped, his plans for the day having been shut down. Or were they?

"We could inspect this restaurant I know." The blond offered, facing the pinkette with a growing grin.

Mine weighed her options. She could have just forced the blond to follow her into the places she wanted to go. Visit the entertainment stops this place had to offer, and end the day with a hit.

But, if Naruto was so sure he knew where he was going it might've been an opportunity to review how well he knew the area. The only reason Tatsumi was originally assigned her was so he could familiarize himself with the Capital. That's what the boss said, anyway.

And so with a sigh, Mine matched his pace, and caught up to the blond before the pinkette could lose him in the streets. "Fine. You'd probably die with no one looking after you anyway." She explained. "But the ramen's last! I have some places I want to go to first." Together the two walked through the crowd of miserable civilians, and several Imperial Officers patrolling the area.

It was fine, at least. They walked in silence, and the blond walking with his hands intertwined behind his head. And the pinkette, who was mentally preparing a shopping list. Definitely not groceries though. The housework was Naruto's job. Mine would rather eat tofu ramen before she succumbed to the absurd gender roles the Capital liked to instill into girls her age.

"Let me go you bastards! My father will bury you two for this!"

Naruto slowed down, hearing struggling in an alleyway closeby. He peered into the entryway, his blood boiling at the sight greeting him.

One scrawny man held a girl by her ivory kimono while his husky friend merely cheered him on, folding his arms frowning when he realized they caught the glowering blond's attention. Both men looked to be in their age group, if their apparel was anything to go by.

"The hell're you lookin-" Naruto didn't wait to hear the pudgy kid's brash sentence; He had already closed the gap between them with a sharp kick to the jaw. He fell back, nose bleeding, and too fearful to challenge the blond moving on to his headbanded companion.

But instead of beating him right then and there, Naruto unsheathed his trusty machete from it's hidden compartment in his sleeve and held it up to the other one's neck, pushing him into the brick wall behind after he dropped the girl.

Mine watched with a blank face, masking the thoughts running through her head. Naruto didn't even give them a chance to say anything snarky. He just went straight for the kill, like any other assassin would whenever confronting a target. 'Guess he won't be as useless as I thought.' She evaluated, mildly impressed. But the pudgy one's probably hadn't been in a fight before to go down that fast. And scrawny over there looked three second away from soiling himself.

"W-woah, woah! It's fine, we aren't doing anything wrong!" He didn't dare raise his hands in surrender, nor did he move a muscle, not with the huge knife this close to being driven into his neck. "Sh-she's a foreigner! For all we know she could be an enemy! J-just look at her eyes, there empty!"

The pinkette took the time to examine the girl. True to their word, her eyes certainly looked empty, but she doubted the two men actually knew who she was, or at least where she came from with peepers like those. Not to mention her attire. Her dress even possessed the tribe seal sown on.

But the girl's appearance wasn't in Naruto's thoughts at the moment, instead feeling familiarity in the adolescent's words as his eyes widened. He was hurled back into his childhood before he could disregard the sense of dejá vu.

Flashback

He was supposed to find a home. He was supposed to be taken in by someone who could call him home in. But sometimes life was cruel, and unjust. Even for innocent children, like little Naruto Uzumaki.

He believed he found a mother, like in the storybooks he would read at the library if by chance he wasn't shoved out. But when he was so close, while she was signing the necessary documents while he grinned happily in her arms, her husband came bursting through the door, demanding she come home at once.

And they argued, screaming at each other, the husband using words the little boy had yet to understand. Naruto listened in the corner with his head down, already knowing full well he didn't find his home today, for reasons he couldn't even understand.

But what the man was saying, albeit vague, gave him a clue of why he was treated like was garbage.

"He could be a traitor for all we know!"

End Flashback

Naruto was seething inside, but managed to control his anger, merely edging the blade close enough to scrawny's neck to draw blood. "Get lost." Naruto whispered into his ear, before dropping the assaulter all together. "Both of you."

The men scrambled onto their feet and bolted down the alleyway as fast as they could. Naruto chucked; they hadn't looked back, not even once. And Mine didn't have to intervene either. Who was useless now?

The girl, albeit slightly frightened, took a deep breath, expression shifting into that of exasperation to save her pride, as though she could've taken them down anytime. Which she could've! There was just no point getting her hands dirty before the negotiations were over; she had a family reputation to maintain, after all.

She gathered the courage to thank her saviors. It was the least she could do. "Thanks." She said, dusting herself off. "Those two wouldn't leave me alone."

The girl observed the obscure orange man, not expecting him to kneel down to her height, and hold out his pinky finger. "Don't thank me. Just promise you'll get stronger to protect yourself from people like that. Okay?" He said, giving off a smile sure to brighten any room.

And it proved infectious. She couldn't help but slowly beam back just as bright, and intertwine their pinkies together. "Alright."

"Hanabi?"

"Hanabi!"

Everyone faced the carriage just outside the alley, meeting the intense stare of two burly men dressed in white kimonos, both with identical lilac irises as the girl. "Who're you?" Naruto asked, putting himself in front the girl identified as Hanabi.

To which Mine pulled him away by his ear, irritated by the blond's ignorance. "Those are her guards." She said, ignoring string of curses muttered under his breath. In truth, she should have seen it sooner.

Judging by her enlarged lilac featureless irises, Hanabi here more than likely hailed from the Hyūga tribe; the only tribe on good terms with the Empire. Their eyes were said to be able to see at a 360 degree angle without the use of a Teigu, backing up their self proclaimed title as the strongest fighters in the land. Tribewise, they weren't as...tribal as the rest. The tribe members who didn't fight were usually educated, albeit arrogant as hell, their territory was well paid for from the Empire, and they even had an actual compound that spanned up to four acres! It almost made Mine wonder what they needed from the Empire.

"Lady Hanabi, what are you doing out here?" One concerned guard asked, walking towards the Hyūga heiress' form. "Were these people bothering you?" Narrowed lilac eyes settled on the pair of pink and orange ahead.

"No! They saved me from two delinquents picking on me!" Hanabi yelled back, frustrated. The guards only knew suspicion, that was it. Do you know how hard it was for someone like her to make friends with them always breathing down her neck? Damn near impossible! She had to run away just to catch a break.

The other, more sensible guard faced the two. "You saved her?" He asked, always cautious.

"Yeah, we did." Mine said proudly, arms folded.

"Then please accept our thanks in the form of dinner at the Hyūga compound." The bodyguard offered, humbly clasping his hands behind his back with firm posture.

Dinner didn't sound too bad. Especially when Naruto wouldn't be the one to cook it. "Do you have ra-" A few words in and he couldn't speak. Or breathe. He could only mumble strings of curses under the hand covering his mouth.

"Actually, we have somewhere to be!" The pinkette said, all but ushering Naruto out of the alleyway, bidding the slightly amused Hyūga her farewell.

Once out of earshot, Mine released Naruto from her grip, to which he backed away several steps. "The hell was that for?! I gotta eat too Mine!" He waved his arms for added effect.

She had good reason. They couldn't risk being associated with such high profile people. C'mon, they were assassins, y'know.

"Please, you would've blown our cover in less than eight seconds. Besides, didn't you say you knew some place that didn't serve only ramen?" She waved off.

Naruto folded his arms and pouted, still not yet over the indignation. "Well, yeah but still." There were principles, mind you! Sighing, the blond paced further north, intent on getting that bowl of special ramen only Teuchi could make. He'd have to ask him how he cooked it one day, when the Capital was finally at peace.

Mine caught up with him, and together the assassins ambled through the streets, the pinkette stealing a couple glances of her blond subordinate here and there.

In truth, she wasn't sure if his upbringing was that much different from hers, given his reaction to what had transpired only minutes ago. Naruto was so...angry. Angrier than what she would've been had she been alone and saw what was happening in the alley.

But it wasn't as though Mine could simply ask him. From what she saw, the blond was very secretive whenever his past was questioned. (i.e. Tatsumi.)

And who knew, maybe the pinkette was overthinking things and Naruto was only giving the normal response anyone would give to something as infuriating as almost watching a little girl being assaulted over something as petty as xenophobia.

"So where're we going?"

Naruto's question interrupted Mine's train of thought. She looked up to see indifferent blue orbs gazing down upon her with expectancy. The pinkette smirked, just finishing up her mental shopping list. They had so many places to go, after all.

Mine chuckled, returning her gaze to the streets ahead, "The boss gave us this mission because we could walk around freely, so first, we'll conduct our retail investigation."

"Retail investigation?" Naruto's face fell, "You mean shopping don't you." He realized, slumping his shoulders. He hoped whatever store they were going to didn't have as much pink items as Mine was expecting.

…

One ridiculously long and stupid shopping spree later

An hour later, Naruto and Mine walked side by side, the blond struggling to successfully walk straight without faltering the hold he held on the multiple bags he had to carry. Naruto sighed. It turned out pink was a color regarded in rising popularity.

Meaning it was becoming a trend. Meaning while Mine had to hold only the houseplants Naruto wanted to buy because they agreed to carry each other's bags, our blond protagonist had to hold a bunch of pink bags and even more pink present boxes, most of which comprising of clothing and jewelry.

'Retail investigation my ass.' He couldn't find the purpose to glare at amused onlookers as their minds raced to unrealistic conclusions.

Finally he spoke, intended on getting his point across, "Okay, that's it! We're going to where I wanna go, then I'm going back to base, and dropping all this crap off too." All in all, today was not a fun day for Naruto.

But Mine however, would not accept rebellion. She would have bopped her annoying blond trainee in the head, but he would've dropped her stuff. So she settled on a pink death glare whilst resting her fists at her sides, "Don't forget who your superior is, blondie. Did you honestly think you could just waltz in here and be at my level in only three days?"

"I've been on…" He paused, not willing to blow their cover just for the sake of argument. Soon he found the proper, more discrete words, and suddenly the bags were weightless in his hold. "The team for three days. But that doesn't mean I haven't been fighting my whole life, I'm probably way past your level, so don't act all high and mighty just because you're really strong alright?!"

"Way past my level?" Mine echoed steadily raising her voice. She ignoring the last bit where he mentioned he's fought all his life.

"Y-Yeah!" Naruto looked all but ready to drop her bags and stomp back to the base at a moment's notice.

But he only huffed, and faced the opposite direction, "Forget it, I'm going back to the base and taking a nap." He decided, still carrying her bags, fortunately.

"Well, fine!" She shouted back. She didn't need him anyway, this was only a mission! He should've been grateful she deemed him worthy enough to carry her bags!

...

"Uggh. These're heavy." Naruto commented as he walked down the main street. Wait, why was he still carrying these bags? Oh yeah, Mine would bury him for just dropping them somewhere.

In the blond's struggle he unknowingly walked into someone else, falling over and dropping the precious cargo he had.

"Oh, man I'm so sor- Naruto?" A familiar voice said.

Naruto recognized that voice. He let the farmboy help him up with a grunt, "Tatsumi?" Once on his feet he examined his apparel, before chuckling to himself, "You look like a priest with that on."

Tatsumi was taken aback by the completely absurd comment. He looked downright mesmerizing in his white garments damn it! He would defend their honor with great passion, "What?! I look awesome with this on!"

"Yeah, right man." Before the two could begin a lengthy debate on whether Tatsumi's new outfit was indeed fashionable, the farmboy's superior spoke up,

"Hey, Naruto. Where's Mine?" Lubbock asked, scanning all directions for any sign of the master sniper. Then he turned to Naruto with a smirk, "You didn't actually ditch her did you?"

At the pinkette's mention, the blond suddenly realized Mine's bags were on the ground, "Gah! He scrambled to pick each one up, praying none of her clothes collected dirt.

"Uhh, Naruto...you okay?"

"H-Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine." The blond stuttered, too hesitant to check for any dirt.

Tatsumi wasn't buying it. If he was one to laugh at the suffering of others, there was no doubt in his mind he wouldn't have had to suppress a chuckle or two, because Naruto looked so whipped. "You sure?" Tatsumi asked, grinning.

"Yeah, I just-" The blond stopped himself when he realized one crucial detail. "What're you two doing?"

At this the green one Naruto had yet to learn the name of began giggling to himself whilst hiding his orange book behind his back, his cheeks gaining a pervert's red hue, "Us? We're stopping by the bookstore then heading for the hot springs! Perfect hands on stealth training, huh?"

Stealth training at the hot springs? That meant…

Slowly Naruto's cheeks gained a respective orange hue as he understood what this "stealth demonstration" would entail. Then a smile slowly crept into his face when he realized something else, "I wanna go to!"

"Another pervert?!" Tatsumi cried in disbelief, gaining small distance from his appalling comrades. "I can't be the only guy here who isn't a perv!"

The blond looped an arm around the whining Tatsumi after he used one hand to grip two of Mine's bags, "C'mon, Tatsumi! We're assassins now." He said, whispering the mention of their occupation. "If we could die at any time I wanna at least see one naked girl before I reach those pearly gates, don't you?"

By now Tatsumi's cheeks were set ablaze as he slowly began to understand Naruto's logic. "F-fine." He stuttered, keeping his gaze away.

"I'm glad we're all seeing eye to eye here, but we still gotta go back to the bookstore." Lubbock reminded. Truthfully, he had to pick up something essential to their "training". When he looked back at the both of them, the stringsmith chuckled to himself, knowing full well Tatsumi nor Naruto would never be able to look at any other member of Night Raid in the eye ever again.

…

Books of the Red Thread

"So your cover is a book shop owner? In the middle of the Capital?" Naruto asked, holding a small book with an orange cover. The store itself was pretty nice, and held a pretty amicable environment despite it's small size. One side was reserved for numerous book shelves, the other with a small table inside a booth, most likely reserved for group discussions and book clubs. Lubbock as the owner, probably occupied the front desk whenever customers arrived.

"Yep. Hiding in plain sight. Get it?" Lubbock walked over, admiring the book he chose. But he saved his comments for later. "The bookstore's convenient for all the info I'm able to snag daily."

By now the blond was skimming pages when the foreword was too lengthy. Wasn't this supposed to be one of those dirty books?, "How do you get information that easil-gah!" The book fell, and Naruto's cheeks humorously kept their orange glow.

"You okay?" Tatsumi asked as he approached the blond. His gaze shifted from Naruto, who had his hands clamped to his mouth, to the orange book inches away from his feet. Curiously, he picked it up and opened a random page, only to follow Naruto's earlier example.

After the stringsmith amusedly lifted his copy of Icha Icha off the floor, he finally tucking it away in his pocket for what was to come later. "I see you're both interested in Icha Icha. Most of what I know about women comes from the series y'know."

"Now, on to your question, it's in all the books here." He picked up the novel, and placing it back in it's shelf. "Well, most of them." "You see, the money we get from the hits we complete we're able to pay for shipments of random books."

Naruto wasn't understanding. He'd heard the phrase knowledge is power, but what did any of that have to do with information gathering? He didn't read much anymore anyway. At least, not at his age.

Apparently his confusion was evident, because Lubbock explained further, "These books contain everything the Capital knows on just about everything, points of interest, intelligence, the works. Basically, we know what they know."

"So are there any books on Teigu?" Although Tatsumi's curiosity peaked upon seeing Bulat's Teigu, yesterday's episode, when he and Naruto came back from Ogre's assassination, heightened his interest as well. When they got back, Akame had just about interrogated him as she screened him about whether or not he had a Teigu for over two hours. That did not look very enjoyable.

"Of course," the stringsmith reached for the Imperial Arms encyclopedia above a rather high shelf. Dusting it off, he handed it over, "Here's every Teigu the Capital has ever had in their possession. Some are missing, or even destroyed, but every few years, they hold a contest with a Teigu as the prize."

Naruto took the book from Tatsumi, ignoring his protests, and checked the cover before opening the book for himself: The Imperial Arms Encyclopedia: revised and expanded, "Wow." The book detailed the Imperial Arms' history and their destructive capabilities. As the blond flipped through page after page, only the article on Night Raid caught his eye, and it's description irked the blond. While it would make sense they would be described as ruthless murderers, only taking out the rich and high in power, it made Naruto wonder if anyone was smart enough to look through the tinted glass the Empire placed. Because who were ignoring the nonexistent laws? The rich guys! The ones higher up! In truth, Naruto wondered if the people of the Capital ever considered rioting yet. It wasn't like any of them were oblivious to the slaughter fest going on.

But then again, in places like this, the truth was always orderly disposed of, and oppression was backed behind money.

Naruto shut the thick book, it's contents uninteresting for the moment, "When's the next contest?" Naruto asked, closing the thick book, it's contents uninteresting for the moment. "I'd have to fight other people right?"

So he wanted a Teigu. Good. Better he's interested now then have a member of Night Raid force him into the tournament later. Lubbock took the encyclopedia from the blond, placing it on a shelf not as high as before. "Of course you'd have to fight other people. But I wouldn't worry just yet. The next tournaments in a few months or so. Even sooner if they find a new Teigu to give away." He explained, walking to the front desk and presenting a sketch of a double bladed axe to the blond. "This one is rumored to be the prize this year."

"Cool." Naruto said, taking the sketch from him. "But doesn't this mean I'll have to fight Tatsumi?"

The farmboy in question stiffened upon hearing that, but he didn't let his doubts show, instead deciding to radiate confidence. "You shouldn't count on it; I'd mop the floor with you." He made sure Naruto heard the smugness in his voice.

"Is that a fact?" The blond challenged, smirking at the friendly competition as he moved for the door.

"Sure is."

Naruto gripped his chin and pointed his gaze to the ceilings, as contemplation painted his expression, "Well, I'm pretty sure the one who makes it to the hot springs first should foretell who'll win the match." He said, already outside the bookstore gripping the door henges.

"Wait, how would that fore- h-hey! Naruto!" The blond was already booking before Tatsumi could question his rediculous competition. The farmboy scrambled to make it past the exit in the direction Naruto was going, not catching Lubbock's dissapointed sigh.

They went the wrong way.

Author's Note: So Naruto ditches Mine, and goes with Lubbock and Tatsumi instead. I thought it'd be ironic, because I almost had Lubbock as Naruto's mentor instead of Mine for the day. And yeah, there's other Naruto characters in here. The double axe previously mentioned is an actual Teigu from the anime, I just don't remember which one.

I also thought it'd be cool to make fun of Tatsumi's all white hoodie. I mean c'mon, he looks like a friggin' priest in those things!

About the guy that kept threatening to take my story down, I blocked him. So while you shouldn't expect any of his reviews anymore, the very rude guest review he dropped was something that got past me. While I could easily delete it, I decided to keep it there, cause' if there's anon hate, I guess that means I'm popular then, eh?

And to any concerned reader, let it be known that there is absolutely, positively, no way in hell that this is going down. As the author, I love the story's potential far too much to let that happen.

As a matter of fact, because of the reviews he left, I started to plan ahead of where the anime left off. I'm building a universe, baby!

Shoku-out!


	5. Kill your Curiosity! pt 2

**Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry for the wait, along with my absence. To make up for it, I'm introducing a new feature to the story that'll hopefully make the reading even better: omakes! Little humorous slivers describing what goes on in between assassinations. They're at the end of every chapter however, save for the closing author's note however, heh. Sorry.**

 **Chapter 5: Kill your Curiosity! Pt 2**

Six assassins, all equally armed and dangerous, raced en route to a mansion supposedly deep within the forest.

As Naruto leapt from branch to branch with his team, he went over the specifics of the mission. The actual target? This dude named Iwokaru, blood relative of the prime minister. He was taking girls from the streets, and then beating them to death, using the minister's name, the piece of shit. It was the stuff like that that got under Naruto's skin, only because it opened the possibility that the Capital truly was a lost cause; that his efforts would bear no fruit. When he finally got his hands on him, he would...he would…

"Naruto." Akame called, not breaking her gaze from the mentally illuminated path ahead. The blond's distress must've been visible if she caught it.

Naruto returned his gaze forward as well, after sparing a glance to his right in regard, "Yeah?"

She could see the anger bubbling up on his expression, heavily contrasting Akame's neutral features and overall demeanor, "You shouldn't let your inner turmoil cloud your judgement, and jeopardize the mission should you encounter Iwokaru from a distance." She advised, earning a confused stare in return.

"Huh?"

The pinkette to his left resisted the urge to facepalm, as that would have faltered the grip on her weapon. Instead, she delivered a sharp elbow to the blond's ribs, and scoffed. "She's telling you not to mess up if you see the target but can't engage." Mine simplified.

"You didn't have to elbow me if that was all you had to say!" Naruto complained, before casting his dejected gaze downwards, "Tatsumi's so lucky, he's able to take it easy for the rest of the night." The blond mumbled, referencing the farmboy's earlier visit to the realms of unconsciousness.

"What happened to him again?" Shelle asked, genuinely curious. When the newbies returned from their day with their respective mentors, the wielder of Ecstasy definitely didn't expect to see Naruto dragged by the ear via Mine, while he was holding an unconscious Tatsumi by an arm. Although it was quite an amusing sight indeed, she was never given an explanation.

She saw Naruto point a glare at the green clad assassin on his far right in response, "Hot springs, long story." He said. Lubbock in turn, grinned sheepishly as he remembered what went down at the aforementioned hot springs earlier.

But c'mon. In all fairness, he did end up apologizing. It wasn't as though Naruto would actually miss that orange hoodie he wore. In fact, his new replacement was just as horrendous; gone was the orange and black hoodie. In it's place was a baggy orange jacket with an ivory collar, and blue cuffs. Not much of an improvement, really. It was more like two, maybe eight steps backwards.

Suddenly Bulat halted on a lone tree branch, prompting everyone else to follow. The moonlight shined on Incursio's armor. "The mansion is just up ahead, so it'd be best if this is where some of us branched off." He instructed, before pointing to the nearby pinkette, "Specifically you, Mine. You snipe Iwokaru, then we stop anyone who tries to intercept the shooter." But there was one more thing. The wielder of Incursio was well aware of the many grievances Naruto and the aforementioned shooter held against each other. So the pseudo-leader added in one quick detail, "Naruto, you watch Mine's back." Bulat then took off, his orders heard and carried out. To be honest, although the pinkette was an amazing sniper on her own, she was often susceptible to attacks from behind.

He looked back, and saw Mine making for the highest branch available, with Naruto following suit. Once almost at the very top of the tree, the pinkette settled on a lone branch and took immediate aim with her Teigu. Satisfied, Bulat returned his stare to the timberland in front of him, and took off.

…

Truthfully, the blond would've gaped at the view he received of the forest, had he not been on such an important mission. But still, all he could see of the mansion was the roof poking out of the dense greenery. And even then, it was _really_ far, he had to squint just to get a good look. "I don't know why Bulat said the place was just up ahead, I can barely see it from all the way up here."

The pinkette's focus remained on the compound. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure nothing sneaks up on me while I'm aiming." Mine ordered. Inwardly, she sighed; she wouldn't have been able to get a good shot at the current distance. She'd have to wait until Iwokaru was out of the compound. Mine's concentration was visible to even Naruto apparently, as she could see him spare a curious glance in her direction within the corner of her eye.

"Wait, you can see the mansion, like it's up close?" Naruto asked, slightly taken aback.

The corner of Mine's lips tugged upwards, more than open to any chance available to boast on her _many_ capabilities, "Heh, well did you expect any less from me? I _am_ a badass genius sniper, y'know." She boasted, before resuming her focus.

Meanwhile Naruto didn't drop his inquisitive stare. That focus, it was almost as if...' _I could feel her power'_ , Naruto mused inwardly. It was like a slight change in the atmosphere, but instead of lowering the temperature, it instead indicated impending action. It was surreal.

"He's coming out." He heard Mine say, before the barrel to her Teigu glowed a familiar yellow. The pinkette then pulled the trigger, and Pumpkin released the aforementioned impending action.

…

Miles ahead, the laser beam went through Iwokaru's forehead like butter. Neither he, nor any of the captive women he had been leading outside, saw it coming. When he fell back, a look of surprise eternally consuming his expression, the girls apathetically looked back at his downed form. They didn't smile, celebrate, or even flinch when the shot flew past them; they were already broken.

…

And Mine saw it all with utmost clarity, miles away.

"Got him."

Naruto tore his gaze from the far away mansion, then Mine, before repeating, settling on the self proclaimed badass genius sniper with bewilderment, "With just one shot? Just like that? That's it?" If she was able to actually hit the bastard from a distance like this…he might as well reconsider the next few pranks he had in store for her.

Meanwhile the pinkette simply scoffed, "Genius sniper remember?"

…

"We can't let them escape!" One ANBU guard cried, sprinting through the forest along with his comrades.

"The Prime Minister will kill us himself if failure is permitted!" Another reminded, stopping in his tracks when a few of the assassins became visible through the holes of his animal mask. The others followed.

Leone pumped her fists together, and her smirk grew cheshire upon seeing the guards tense. Hopefully this gave Mine and Naruto the distraction they needed to make it too the meeting spot. And even then, the busty blonde had been itching for a fight lately, "Let's rumble."

…

"Naruto, tell me about your past." Mine ordered, staring at the blond directly as they walked through the forest, feet mingling with the undergrowth.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. I wanna know what made you so…" The pinkette droned on, not yet finding the correct word, "damaged."

Naruto was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about. That comment he made about him fighting all his life hours prior. He actually figured it'd bite him in the ass later, but not so soon. Maybe he could buy himself time until they reached the meetup spot. Hopefully the rest of Night Raid was already there, "Look Mine, I-I don't really wanna talk about it."

At this Mine thankfully stood quiet. Hey, maybe this time she'd respect his wishes and drop it. But looking at her, the way her pink orbs seemingly stared into nothingness, it didn't take much to assume she had one trick up her bubblegum sleeve.

And apparently she did, because the next words that came out of her mouth were, "...I'll tell you about my past, only if you tell me about yours."

And that kept Naruto quiet as he inwardly mulled over the compromise. The chance to learn what made Mine tick, huh? The blond already had his fair share of assumptions; her rich family kicks her out of the mansion, then she becomes a badass genius sniper fighting for liberation. "...Okay."

She sighed, not really expecting to reveal her past to Naruto of all people, "Alright then." Releasing a breath she unknowingly held in, Mine began her story, "I was raised in one of the tribes in the western part of the Empire, by the border, and half my blood is foreign." Mime paused, remembering a particular scene as though it happened the day before; Other kids hurling tomatoes, a target behind her both literally and figuratively. "So acceptance, was a rarity. I was mercilessly ridiculed, and my childhood comprised of only misery."

Naruto took it all in, slightly stunned at how little their respective pasts contrasted. Although her story was brief, the blond was glad she revealed at least a small portion of her past. Nobody liked to relive their childhood if it was as traumatic as the pinkette described, after all. It definitely brought up Naruto's opinion of her. "Mine too." He said, looking forward.

For what felt like a long time, Naruto kept his mouth shut, unable to form the right words to describe what went down in his childhood. Finally, Mine demanded he hold up his end of the deal, unable to wait any longer.

"Well?!"

The blond sighed. He was gonna need a cup of ramen when this mission was over, "I lived in a village, kinda far away from the capital." He paused, looking at the sniper to make sure she was paying attention, "And when I was a kid, no one payed that much attention to me. When they did, it was never good. I was yelled at, and made fun of by the other kids. And you know the real messed up part about it?" He continued after Mine shook her head, "They never told me why."

"What do you mean?"

The pinkette kept her lips in a firm thin line, uttering out a meek "Oh", and kept her pace steady. But then another question popped up, "So why do you eat ramen?" The noodles were considered the poor man's delicacy, after all.

But that apparently went over Naruto's head, as he was thankfully sporting one of his signature wide grins, "Oh, I taught myself how to cook it."

Mine grinned as well, glad the blond was able to smile again

But as sad as it was, it wouldn't have been too far off to assume he made himself learn to love the meal as much as he did at that point.

…

Leone let out a contented sigh, casting her hazy gaze to the sky, "I feel so refreshed!"

"They were formidable, weren't they?" Shelle commented. The men were ANBU after all. Trained at koukenji, the best martial arts temple the Empire and the Imperial Guard had to offer. Needless to say, the bodyguards certainly put up a good fight.

But Akame was sure she counted five of them, not four. That could only have meant…

…

For a while the deafening silence reigned supreme, as both parties were unable to voice their thoughts out loud; It would have been too awkward. Luckily they arrived at the meeting place, a lone sakura tree occupying a small clearing, indicating the mission's completion was just around the corner.

So in the meantime Naruto threw a glance at the night sky, finding it just as pleasing to his eyes as usual, and with the full moon out, it was an added bonus. The phenomena somehow made him feel much more...there. His senses almost felt heightened and his overall strength was multiplied.

So with his advanced hearing, he was able to pick up the third presence with utmost clarity.

His ears twitched, blue eyes widened, and the blond suddenly found himself rushing to Mine's aide, pushing her out the way of a sneak attack and kicking an open palm.

Time seemed to have slowed down, enabling Naruto to properly identify the attacker, or at least analyze his appearance; large shoulder pads, tan training tunic underneath, along with baggy pants, boots, and similar blond hair, ending in a long braid that swayed with the wind slightly.

Then time returned to it's original tempo, and the unidentified attacker used his free hand to grip the assassin's leg, flinging him into the other side of the clearing.

"I respect your effort there, whiskers." He complimented, before assuming the koukenji fighting stance, "But it won't be enough, I was assistant trainer for ten years, y'know."

From afar, by the sakura tree, Mine scoffed, "And look at you now, protecting someone as worthless as Iwokaru." The pinkette pulled out her signature weapon, and opened fire, "Oh how the mighty have fallen!" As she fired, Mine tried to maintain her smirk, make it look like she had the upper hand, but the way the guy bobbed and weaved through each shot was very disheartening, and Pumpkin was set on automatic!

Eventually he made his way over, leaping up and towering over her as though she were prey. "It's time to deliver justice," he said, "Now prepare yourself, I'll be bringing you to the Prime Minister alive."

Meanwhile from the sidelines, Naruto recovered from his fellow blond's throw. He unsheathed his machete, and made a beeline towards his opponent, leaping once he was close enough. "If you plan on doing that then you shouldn't forget about me!" Naruto cried, swiping down his blade, cursing when the koukenji trainer caught it within his palms.

That left him open.

Naruto momentarily discarded his weapon, dropping to the ground and attacking – no brawling – his opponent with not so fluid combinations of kicks and punches. The blond's fighting style was relentless, self taught, and therefore very unpredictable. He managed to catch him with a high roundhouse kick before lunging at him, a new plan formulated.

Naruto then received an odd sense of deja vu; he had done something similar while fighting Ogre.

"Yo, badass genius sniper, take the shot!" Naruto yelled while he physically held the taller man in place.

"H-hold on!" The koukenji trainer looked in between the other blond and the pinkette with widened eyes, desperately struggling to escape his fate.

But it was too late. Mine had already taken aim with her weapon set on snipe mode this time. "Fine. Just remember this is the first and last time I follow an order from you, newbie." She reminded, before pulling the trigger, satisfied when it hit its mark perfectly.

The trainer coughed up blood; very whimsical when compared to the huge hole now in his chest, courtesy of the self proclaimed badass genius sniper. Yet somehow, he still managed to crack a grin, with intent to deliver a warning; a final message, letting them know that even if he was defeated, they were still doomed the moment they laid a hand on the Prime Minister's blood relative.

And he would have, had Naruto not swiped his blade through the man's throat.

Naruto was already tired, he wasn't gonna take any chances when the bad guy takes a huge hole to the chest then actually grins.

The blond let the man fall back and literally drown in his own blood.

With the danger gone, Naruto set his megawatt grin in place, jerking a thumb to his chest; the typical 'nice guy pose'. "Got him." He boasted, knowing full well he repeated the pinkette's words from earlier, right after she sniped down Iwokaru.

…

The walk to the base was alright, not too loud, nor too quiet; Lubbock and Leone made not so pleasant conversation whether the former earned his half of the pay in the rear, while Mine, Akame, and Bulat stood silently watching the blond as he amble peacefully in the front.

"Naruto, he's a strange one isn't he?" The burly one in the group commented, his Teigu dematerialized.

Mine released a sigh, then spoke up, "I guess,"

"Aren't we all?" Akame's vermillion orbs remained planted on the one in question. It looked as though she was attempting to solve a puzzle of some sort. But that was Akame after all; while she wasn't as analytical as the boss, she definitely made sure her teammates were all figured out.

"True. But all that orange, it makes him easier to spot." Leone jumped in, before looping an arm around the wielder of murasame. "Doncha think?"

"I have to agree. But if he tried running away, he wouldn't be that hard to find."

Lubbock caught up to the rest of his comrades, next to the pinkette, and then they all were walking together in in a single row, with he and Leone at either side, "I don't think he'd run. It doesn't really sound like a Naruto thing to do."

"But I remember you saying he momentarily abandoned Tatsumi in the hot springs." Akame calmly disagreed, prompting the stringsmith to burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.

"That's right! He just left the guy behind and bolted," Lubbock drove his hand forward in a zooming gesture for added effect.

Then an irritated Naruto drew in a calm breath, before shouting, "I can hear you!", unable to enjoy Night Raid's following silence, or even smile.

But in his defense, he didn't have much opportunity to grin then. There was too much on his mind. The blond kept replaying the final moments of the fight, taking notice to how frighteningly easy it was to decide the koukenji trainer's fate.

Because no matter what he was labeled as; assassin, demon, monster, he was only Naruto Uzumaki; a fifteen year old blond kid with whiskers who loved ramen and the color orange. Said blond kid also held a strong set of morals, and firmly believed it was not up to him, or anyone else for that matter, to decide who lived and who died, even if he was an assassin and it wasn't the first time he took it upon himself to end another's life.

The blond still dreaded the day something major as killing someone to him was just as minor as indulging in a midnight snack. What would he be then? An assassin, of course. That had been guaranteed as soon as he stepped foot in the Capital, and he made his peace with that. But did that mean he was destined to eventually become the demon his village accused him of being through hushed murmurs and numerous 'slip-ups'?

No. Because the way they talked about him, the way they made it seem as though he held no remorse for what he did...it wasn't the truth.

Bringing a hand to his face, he decided he was gonna cook a nice, steaming pot of ramen and catch some well deserved z's once at the base. He earned it.

 **Omake - Panic! At the Hot Springs pt 1**

So after finding the two assassins, Lubbock led them to the hot springs.

It was nice, in Naruto's opinion, anyway. The hot springs there were both indoor and outdoor, with separate sections for men and women. Each section had different rooms for private bathing, and a _huge_ indoor onsen open to the public. It seemed like a nice place to relax, and with it's non existent security, assassins turned-perverts were easily able to easily slip past the men's section unnoticed into the women's part of the place after changing into respective towels only.

The steam provided decent cover when they made it to the spacious public onsen, and each perv found separate vantage points quickly, crouching behind rocks, and in vacant corners where the risk of exposure was low. For some reason however, Lubbock made them carry a pen and pad for taking notes. Had he not been close to another blonde beauty in front of him, Naruto would have scoffed, possibly upsetting his nosebleed even further; it wasn't as though they would read these again later. Well, scratch that. Tatsumi probably would.

But it didn't matter much; The blushing blond was having a _great_ time, as was his sword-wielding companion. He peered over to check on his new mentor for the rest of the day, seeing him scribble into his notepad, entranced from the mesmerizing view he was receiving. Realizing he caught Naruto's attention, the stringsmith checked his notepad, before nodding to himself in satisfaction, then looked back at him gesturing at the little notebook in his hold.

Naruto understood the request, and opened the notepad to check its contents.

 _Stealth Lesson #4: Escaping a hostile environment._

 _There comes a point in every assassin's career where he(or she, Night Raid is primarily female, after all) is placed somewhere...out of their element, and having an escape plan is obligatory. But what about the times where there's no plan? When you're backed into a corner with no other option except to retreat? That's where today comes into play. You see, as a member of Night Raid, there's always gonna be somebody who recognizes you from a past hit. And when that happens, you're gonna have to run like hell before the Imperial Guard can catch you. Consider this practice._

Blue eyes comically became wide as saucers.

Shit.

Naruto looked up in panic, but Lubbock was already gone. Instinctively, the blond steadied himself into the rock he was hiding behind, preparing for the worst. Before he could relay the message to Tatsumi, his new target shouted with all his might,

"PERVERTS! PERVERTS IN THE BATH!"

And that was that day Lubbock had his fate sealed; he was a dead man walking.

 **Author's Note: Yeah, everything's a bit short i know but hey, I wanted to have the second part of the previous chapter finished. This is just to let everyone know I'm not giving this one up.**

 **As for the Omake, Naruto was** _ **not**_ **planning on actually killing Lubbock, just to clear that up.**

 **Next time: Kill the Assassin!**

 **Shoku out!**


	6. Kill the Assassin! pt 1

**Author's Note: Okay so I have another story I gotta split focus on so there's a good chance updates might run even slower than usual, granted that's even possible.**

 **A new Naruto character makes an appearance in this chapter, so be on the lookout.**

 **Chapter 6: Kill the Maniac! pt 1**

It had been bothering her for quite some time now.

It was nothing serious, in fact some would have considered it whimsical. But Akame just couldn't wrap her head around Night Raid's orange blur Naruto Uzumaki and finally learn why she held that nagging feeling that Akame saw him somewhere – knew him from somewhere. It was ridiculous; she knew him, but he didn't know her. Just thinking about it made Akame cease sharpening her cursed blade, she nearly cut herself.

It had been getting late anyway. In all actuality, Akame should have been resting to save up her energy, but unfortunately for her, she couldn't shake the blond free from her thoughts. After uncharacteristically tossing and turning for a good twenty minutes, the sleepy assassin gave up altogether. It wasn't as though she would need the so called 'beauty rest' Mine practically scrambled for after lights out.

So Akame decided preparing a midnight snack before occupying the training grounds were the best courses of action, she couldn't sit around doing nothing, after all.

Wandering the compound in nothing but her sleepwear, Akame highlighted the path to the kitchen in her mind. When she reached it, she found the oblivious source of her sleeping schedule put all out of whack.

Cooking a steaming pot of ramen over the stove was Naruto Uzumaki, still in his night clothes as well; a t-shirt and orange boxers. He slept in simple clothing apparently.

She noticed the involuntary twitch of his ears as soon as she arrived. Anyone else wouldn't have even noticed such a cue, but as an assassin, Akame trained her crimson orbs to discern and analyze even the most seemingly insignificant of body language. It was all apart of her mental training regimen taught to her during her time within the Elite Seven. While trust in her teammates was stressed very often, the only other thing worth remembering?

Look underneath the underneath.

But the blond only stood there, hovering over his ramen whilst cutting the vegetables. Was he planning on pretending he didn't hear her? It was...definitely interesting, to say the least. How long would Naruto keep it up however? A minute, ten minutes, an hour?

Finally Akame voiced her thoughts, and went over to sneakily help herself to one of the pork slabs on the stove. She'd save the tomato slice for later. "I sincerely hope you weren't planning on just standing there, Naruto." She said, voice neutral as always.

He didn't act surprised. He hated when others did that to him anyway. "I didn't want you to think I was trying to escape or something." Naruto had yet to shift his gaze off the noodles.

"You're still considering it?" Akame inquired.

"Nah." She saw him flash a grin into the pot, "Not anymore, anyway."

"Good." Akame leaned on the counter, elbows resting on the countertop surface, "You wouldn't get far."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Naruto took to stirring the noodles within the boiling liquid. Coincidentally, the blond had been up as well, but for different reasons than his comrade. While the other assassin was coping with minor insomnia, Naruto was merely a night owl in general. Always had been, except the past few days. With all of this assassins for hire slash revolutionary business, there weren't many chances left to catch up on what he was missing, because he'd return so tired, and hungry. Mostly tired. Naruto used to reserve the nighttime for stargazing, and training within the sacred art of the machete. Maybe once in awhile he'd brush up on the fighting style he never bothered to name, let alone develop fully, but other than that, nothing.

Those were the least of his thoughts, however.

He was too busy praying to whatever deity was listening that Akame couldn't see his fiery red cheeks contributing to the pot boiling.

No one could've really blamed him. The onyx-haired assassin's present attire was somewhat revealing, highlighting her slender figure, whilst drawing attention to her ample bosom, and slender legs. Needless to say, it was pretty hard to look her in the face without blushing profusely, and it wasn't as though he could turn and face her...he only had his boxers, after all.

So Naruto stood quiet, more than welcome to let the silence assume it's reign. While he slowly stirred the noodles, Akame took more and more bites of the pork slab until there was nothing left. Before she could grab the tomato, her blond comrade spoke up.

"Can you help me?"

"With what?" She replied, her interest caught.

"My swordsmanship. I know it's not...as good as yours," The blond revealed, scratching the base of his neck using his free hand.

Akame grasped the tomato slice, and spoke with an unbiased tone, completely neutral, "I've been practicing my swordplay since I was a child, Naruto." She said, to which he seemed downcast for a moment, probably thinking to himself, ' _how am I supposed to reach a level like that?'_ "But I'll help you in any way I can." It wasn't as though Akame minded. It gave her the opportunity to get her mind off of things, and c'mon, she clearly wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon anyway.

Naruto's smile grew into a grin, and Akame watched as he quickly set his pot of noodles back into place after his following victory airfist almost knocked it over, "All right!"

"After we eat."

"Huh?"

"We'll train after we eat. I'm hungry." Akame clarified as she moved towards a cabinet closeby to gather respective bowls. "And so are you."

As Akame set the small bowls on the dining table, Naruto prepared his favorite dish. He craned his head to where he put the pork slabs earlier and-

Wait. Where were they?

The blond moved his gaze to and fro, scanning the countertop for the slabs meant to enhance the broth's flavor. ' _I mean, they were right there, where the hell could they have gone?'_ , he thought. Then he stopped looking, and it went off like a lightbulb.

"Akame, where's the meat I put here?!"

…

Akame sidestepped a left swipe of Naruto's short sword, ducking below another, before following up with a leaping roundhouse that hit its mark perfectly. The blond was sent reeling, but quickly gained distance.

Beads of sweat peppered his form, and his hair clung to his forehead for dear life. Meanwhile Akame stood a good eight feet away and was barely even breaking a sweat. It was maddening, was he really that low of a threat compared to her–to anyone else on Night Raid? How was he supposed to be the hero when he couldn't even get Akame to pant as much as he was, at least furrow her brows, piss her off, something- _anything_!

Instead murasame's wielder only stood there, with her apathetic yet judgmental red orbs scrutinizing his form with her hair flowing in sync with the cool midnight breeze. She wore her regular clothes, sans the tie, and armguards.

Naruto shed his thick jacket minutes after they started training, opting to tie it around his waist. The only barrier between him and the elements was a black undershirt.

His grip around the machete tightened, and he surged forward. His rigid strike was met with Akame's temporary practice blade, before she delivered a successful jab to the face. Before Naruto could recoil and further, he charged back in fist reared back in a predictable haymaker. But just as murasame's wielder was well prepared to sway his fist to the side, the blond switched gears completely and went for a roundhouse midair.

It came close. Akame had to roll to the side in the nick of time, instinctively gaining necessary distance with a couple backflips. She could sense Naruto's frustration even from afar.

"How is this supposed to help my swordsmanship?!" Naruto demanded, flailing his arms for added effect. After the two ate their midnight snack in peace following insignificant conversation, they began sparring, trading feints, thrust, and parries. Never in one spot; Akame's swordsmanship was truly spectacular, because the blond had immense trouble keeping up with her, even if she was only using a wooden sword. Especially when she fused swordplay with melee.

Truthfully, their training session mainly consisted of Akame striking Naruto down with a goddamn practice sword while he desperately tried and numerously failed to avoid her bokuden strikes from hell.

"You," She began, easing her stance, "You utilize movements that confound all attempts to predict them, very respectable. But in battle, you need to make better use of your intellect. When you rely on reflex and pure instinct, your shortcomings are highlighted." Akame explained.

Slowly Naruto dropped his stance as well, planting a hand on his hip as he donned a fox-like frown, squinted eyes and all, "Like what?" He asked. It wasn't everyday one complimented his style and somehow watered it down all at once. He wasn't however, prepared for the assassin to surge a beeline in his direction, bokuden drawn with intent of delivering a basic horizontal slash.

The respective blades clashed, both wielders pouring in strength in a battle for leverage. But while Akame used both hands to firmly grip the hilt of her sword, the blond only used one, and was able to go for a left hook. She carefully avoided the blow by maneuvering herself to the left, all while impressively keeping their weapons clashed, before using the momentum to knock over Naruto's equilibrium with a sweeping kick. Once towering over him, Akame placed a firm foot on his chest to keep him in place. Before the blond could struggle, she rooted her bokuden into the earth dangerously close to his face.

Naruto looked up with widened eyes; she-she took him down so fast. Just when the advantage was in spitting distance. At that moment, he would've bet all the ramen in the world Akame would have been able to end his semi-short life even without her sword.

Akame took the opportunity to answer Naruto's question, "I know you aren't very good at dodging attacks." She said, choosing to elaborate her answer, "Because every time I attack you head on, you rarely attempt to dodge it, countering the strike with another instead." And even then, his countering skills were shoddy at best. The way he fought was akin to a flow, in the sense that if one certain approach didn't end up with the desired results, the blond would merely think of another just under the wire.

Naruto took her words in as he was hoisted off the ground and onto his feet, "What else?" He asked, watching as Akame uprooted her bokuden from the ground.

"Your skills with the machete are nowhere near on par with any of ours."

"What?! My skills are awesome!" Naruto defended.

"..." Akame kept her silent unblinking gaze onto the blond. She didn't speak, nor move. Just gave him, that _look_. It was subtle but Naruto knew it was there. Like she wanted to say, 'they aren't', but was too polite to voice her thoughts out loud.

"They are!"

"..." Murasame's wielder remained wordless. She slowly began the short trek across the wide open sod ridden space, en route to the base and the confines of her private quarters in extension. Once halfway, she stopped within her tracks, before peering behind slightly. "You're very loud." She commented, before resuming her path.

Naruto gawked, "Is that all you have to say?!" The blond growled to himself in stubborn frustration. "What about my training?" Akame was already into the building when Naruto ran across the training field.

…

"So who's the target?" An impatient Naruto asked, hands stuffed into his pockets. The boss had assembled Night Raid into the meeting room, as she usually did every morning.

Najenda payed the blond-haired idiot no mind, she simply eased herself in the throne-like chair she always sat in, and answered the burning question hovering over everyone's minds, "A rumored serial killer active within the streets of Capital. He wanders at night, and decapitates his victims. His body count is still undetermined." Night Raid's official leader concluded.

"Weren't three of them part of the Imperial Guard?" Tatsumi inquired.

"He's gotta be pretty strong to pull something like that off." Naruto mused aloud with a nod of his head in self confirmation.

Very strong if this person has been active long enough for Night raid to receive an anonymous tip that even the Imperial Guard couldn't handle themselves. Usually the wanted fugitives running around the Capital are taken care of by the Empire, quickly too. For this guy to evade capture and actually kill three officers was a pretty big deal, and it also narrowed down the possible subjects. There was the masked man rumored to run around the countryside, well known for his ties to the Empire, and although his body count was certainly high, it wasn't as though they were gruesome. He apparently held an appreciation for the term _silent but deadly,_ just as any assassin should. So if he was out, that only meant… "...Zank the Executioner. No mistaking it."Lubbock said, concluding what two-thirds of Night Raid were already thinking.

Naruto took the opportunity to jab at the target's name, "Zank? What kind of name is that?"

Mine scoffed, not at all in the mood to excuse the blond's hypocrisy, "What kind of name is Naruto? Your name literally means fishcake." She deadpanned.

But hang on...

"Well what kind of name is Mine!?" He defended, his full attention on the pinkette in front of him. Naruto couldn't come up with a snarky comment to back it up but still, the pinkette had a pretty weird name.

"I think we all have strange names, to be honest." Tatsumi hoped to diffuse the impending shouting match between Mine and Naruto, the former narrowing her large pink orbs at the latter's clenched fist and grit teeth. She then allowed a smile to grace her face and direct her full, undivided attention to the boss as she backed down with a "Hmph". She got him all riled up, and on the defensive; In her eyes, Mine had already won,

"So who's Zank?" Tatsumi finally asked with a sigh.

The pinkette settled for a sigh instead of a scoff, then placed her thumb and index finger on the bridge of her nose. God, she couldn't have been the _only_ Night Raid member in touch. "Zank was an executioner at the biggest prison the Empire has to offer." Mine began. As she told the story of Zank the Executioner, at least what the Revolutionary Army knew, the pinkette painted a picture in her mind. She imagined the infamous Zank, in his executioner's uniform towering over an inmate forced onto death row, large ax raised and ignorant to the tearful pleas for the poor man's life. "And because of the Prime Minister, along with the other head adviser, the amount of inmates on death row grew dramatically." She sighed once more, "So after a while, he began to actually enjoy it. And soon enough, executions weren't satisfying, and now he's a serial killer."

Bulat spoke up from his spot leaning against the wall, arms folded, "By the time a detainment force was arranged, he was already gone." Incursio's wielder let out a chuckle void of any mirth, "Who would've thought the Capital was on his radar."

"Actually, that's what brings me to the premise." The boss revealed, gaining six attentive stares in return. "It's easy to speculate he'll be in within the streets, and decapitate whoever's unlucky to cross his path at such a late hour." Najenda kept one bit of information to herself, primarily so Night Raid's newest assassin's wouldn't get themselves killed so soon. She had shared the details with Akame, as Naruto was made her subordinate once again; the two would be searching for Zank together. The girl processed the information fast, and with little repercussions on her psyche, as far as Najenda knew.

"Well...well," Naruto clenched his fists, as steely determination replaced his ever present warm and inviting demeanor. Cerulean irises sparked with righteous fury, amusing the more experienced members of Night Raid, "We gotta find this sonuvabitch! People like that can't just run around wherever they want, especially not if Naruto Uzumaki has anything to say about it!" The orange clad blond let a smirk grace his features, as though he could see his upcoming victory through a looking glass.

Tatsumi shared the blond's mindset, "My thoughts exactly!" He agreed, chocolate orbs containing a fire of their own, just as bright.

Bulat chuckled; it was a bit of a rarity to find assassins so...animated as the newbies, excluding Leone, of course. The boys in front of him were were quick to action, talking big game and never snoozing on the chance to back it up.

It was admittedly a good quality to have any other day, but as assassins, naive attitudes like that were what got people killed. And fast, "Don't get too far ahead of yourselves kiddos. If you end up separated from your partners, your heads just might end up mounted on Zank's wall." They needed to be careful, someone had to remind them.

And hey, who would wanna pass up a chances to freak out the rookies?

Said rookies blinked several times as their eyes widened to comical proportions. Whatever was left of their previous determination must've shriveled up and died at the prospect of having their _heads_ mounted up on a psycho's wall. Even Naruto was rendered to mere mumbles, while Tatsumi was the braver of the two. He spoke first, albeit meekly, "...His wall?"

…

The hit was a group mission. Everybody was to set out into the Capital and search for the killer. Or attract his attention without alerting the Imperial Officers, Naruto wasn't able to pinpoint it exactly. He was never really adept at reading in between the lines.

All throughout, Naruto and Akame kept watch over the Capital streets, ducking behind conveniently placed crates and standing in alleyways barely illuminated by the streetlights only whenever they heard the guards while they were in their late-night patrols.

' _The Empire's probably just as freaked as everyone else in the Capital,'_ The blonde thought; the patrols were more numerous than the last few nights.

While Akame naturally blended in with the shadows through her dark attire, Naruto's loud and comically unfashionable jacket would've had both of their positions compromised in less than what it took for Naruto to imagine his favorite dish. So, he was forced to leave it at the base, clad in the black undershirt he wore with Akame's spare armguards, even though he never wore any form of protection for his forearms. Few stars were out as a result of light pollution, but hey, at least Naruto was able to get a good look at the moon in its crescent phase.

For the most part, the two ambled through the urban landscape, with no smalltalk occupying the space between them. Akame wasn't a very talkative person in nature, and Naruto's inner thoughts more than kept him company. The blond switched between staring into nothingness and looking both ways, irises remaining at the rooftops for any sign of the serial killer rumored to roam these streets just hours before dusk.

Once the coast was confirmed clear, he allowed his mind to roam the numerous clouds above.

Truthfully, Naruto had begun acclimating to the entire ordeal he was practically hurled into. Surprisingly, he didn't mentally recoil when the prospect of an unorthodox and exciting life as an assassin of all things became reality. But then again, Naruto Uzumaki followed just about anything but what was considered orthodox. Even before he was taken in to become, what he dubbed, a "Night Raider", the blond's aspirations were dead set on restoring order to the Capital.

Their circumstances practically mirrored his village's.

But an elaboration was a different story altogether, definitely reserved for another day.

Sighing, he peered his head to his left to get a good look at Akame, who's toneless yet steely glare bore a hole onto the cobblestone path ahead of them. It was strange really, how he somehow managed to translate her neutral gazes despite not having known her for a long time. But maybe it was to be expected; Naruto knew someone similar as a child. It was almost crazy, how little their appearances contrasted; he even remembered telling her over breakfast, hours before.

Appearances aside, what stumped the blond the most about his comrade was how she managed to keep an emotionless expression set twenty-four seven. Surely there had to be _something_ running around in there, right? In fact, such a train of thought led Naruto to sometimes wonder if it was all just a front, like she was wearing a- a mask or something. Figuratively, of course. Her stance maybe was unaligned externally whenever matters of the Capital's liberation weren't in the picture, but there was probably a multitude of thoughts flying around at lightning speed in that pretty head of hers if she didn't even have time to express them aloud.

So naturally, it made the blond curious. _What's going on in there, then?_ , Naruto found himself pondering on more than on occasion. Did Akame regard herself and her comrades as expendable? Or was she secretly all bubbly inside and someone just had to free her from the thick shell confining her true personality?

Now, Naruto would've smirked; he always loved a good challenge, after all. Especially one that could've been considered a redo of sorts.

But by now he was staring, and Akame seemed to catch on, matching his cerulean stare with curious crimson irises. Slowly the blood in his system crept up his neck and finally his cheeks, just as Akame in turn cutely tilted her head to the side, "Do I have something on my face?" She asked.

"W-What, no–no." Naruto stammered, eyes darting to anything but the girl next to him. God, why did he have to stare at her like that?! The hell was he doing?! "I'm just thinking."

Naruto inwardly berated himself at his actions, and decided to keep his mouth shut for the duration of the hit. All he wanted was to find this bastard, kill him, and drown out the rest of his embarrassment in a nice, steaming pot of miso ramen; his favorite dish.

"Oh, all right." Akame thankfully backed down and resumed her staring contest with the road ahead, eyes following Naruto's form as he continued ahead in a faster walking speed, albeit stiffly. She idly wondered if her subordinate had a deficiency with his blood flow and his embarrassment refrained him from revealing it. He was always red whenever she was around.

As he moved stiffly through the street, Akame thought back to the conversation they had over the impromptu breakfast the two shared much earlier. He mentioned someone he knew as a child, making a joke about their similar appearances, and when Akame pressed for more information, the blond successfully dodged every poke and prod with another question of his own, all aimed at Akame.

Apparently they were both curious about the other.

In hindsight, it may have been insignificant conversation, as both parties gained as much info on the other as the amount of Tatsumi's personal funds; which weren't too salvageable, nor nowhere near enough to actually purchase something _anyone_ would actually enjoy. So not much, and especially not enough if Akame held any chance for input.

The girl herself wasn't exactly sure why she was so fascinated by Naruto's inner workings, as everyone on Night Raid, herself included, held their own sets of secrets and charades. Akame placed blame on the blond's possibly inadvertent mysteriousness. She doubted Naruto noticed, but there wasn't _anyone_ on Night Raid that knew more about him than the base knowledge necessary, save for his ramen addiction and appreciation of the friendly color orange.

From what Akame's gathered, Naruto held prior combat experience, if the numerous scars on his body were anything to go by. His regular ramen cravings suggest he lived in poverty at one point in his life, and his top priorities rested in the Capitals's liberation and his village's financial security. Whether or not she asked for more information in the near future, held little significance at the moment.

Under the watch of her red irises, she saw her teammate visibly stiffen, glued to his spot, before she looked ahead and felt her breath hitch in her throat, as she did the same.

"...Sasuke."

But Akame knew it was merely an illusion when Naruto uttered a name that wasn't her sister's.

…

"Aniki, I think I saw him go this way!" Tatsumi panted, the distance he and his comrade had been running just beginning to take a toll on him.

Bulat was holding up just fine. In fact, it didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat, even through the silver armor he donned everyday. The farmboy really wanted to think his superior's Teigu prevented him from giving response to outside stimuli somehow, but even Tatsumi had to admit that more than likely, it was Bulat himself. The guy was stacked, after all.

"Me too. Sure moves fast for someone as heavy as him, but I guess running from the Imperial forces for so long'll do that to anyone, I guess." Bulat replied, sprinting at an even pace with his subordinate.

They had been chasing Zank for over fifteen minutes. They first encountered him fleeing the temporary Hyūga residence provided by the Empire, but against every law of rationality, Zank didn't move to cut both or at least one of their heads off. He simply gave a curt hello, a placid grin on his face, and _bolted_ into the opposite direction. Normally Bulat would've taken it as a trap, but neither of them had the time to consider it.

The former Imperial Captain had already known Zank killed an influential member of the Hyūga clan, whether it was Hiashi Hyūga himself, his brother, his daughter, or his niece.

Because of it, the tension between the Empire and foreign entities were more than likely set to double soon, making outside forces more open to collaborate with the revolutionary army.

A sacrifice ultimately necessary for the revolution.

The numerous twists and turns the two were making in pursuit made Tatsumi remember just how big the Capital was, and glad there were two other search parties looking for Zank as well.

…

The blond blinked once, twice, three times, to ensure he wasn't going senile prematurely. He looked over at Akame, who had stopped - just as rigid as well, to make sure he wasn't the only one seeing things, but it was hard to tell; her crimson orbs were set on neutral, and it was harder than usual to tell what was she was thinking.

Finally, he looked ahead once more, and marveled at the perfect resemblence this person held to his childhood friend. But that _should_ have been impossible.

Sasuke Uchiha was dead. And yet somehow, the prideful, gifted child he once knew was just standing there. Right in front of him.

His height was still a measly three foot-two, and his hair was still in, what Naruto would tease at frequently whenever they saw each other, a duckbutt do. But the onyx eyes weren't wide and didn't convey the curiousness Sasuke often displayed in childhood, instead kept lazily hooded, lips set in a frown. The plain, high collared shirt and shorts remained untouched.

Naruto felt his breath hitch; he hadn't changed…"At all." Not one bit.

Had it been anyone else, the blond probably would've questioned exactly _how_ after seven years his best–only friend hadn't aged a day, and maybe, just maybe, he would've immediately come to the conclusion was a figment of his clearly imperfect mind. But it all seemed so-so _real_.

He took a step forward, ignoring Akame's questioning glance within his peripheral vision.

But Naruto didn't have enough presence of mind to noticed her hands whip to Murasame's scabbard tied to her hip. She unsheathed her blade in one quick motion, and sprinted past her gaping blond teammate, dead set on the illusion several meters ahead, blade raised.

As she drew closer, Sasuke's form rearranged itself disturbingly. Slowly, it adopted the semblance of a burly man with wavy blond hair not unlike his, but with two large sets of strands shaped into fleeting horns protruding in the spot above his temples. The man wore a headpiece with an eyeball-like mechanism positioned directly over his forehead. The sleeves to his thick jacket creased as he placed both forearms over his face, katar blades protruding from his sleeves just in time to effectively hold back the legendary One Cut Kill blade.

' _How did she know?'_ , Zank thought, diminutive eyes widening a fraction or two before a sinister smile quickly wormed it's way into his expression. The executioner quickly gained necessary distance, before titling his head to the side, "This will be quite the interesting match-up, don't you think? Very...FUN!" He said, giggling similarly as a child would before entering a place enjoyed by many, like a carnival. The sick grin plastered onto his face was enough to send the blond shivers straight down his spine.

 **Author's** **Note: So I'm pretty sure some readers are wondering just what the hell Sasuke's doing in here. Bear in mind multiple Naruto characters are set to make several appearances, whether their very existence is mentioned or they simply pop up somewhere in the nick of time. That being said, I do hope people are enjoying the story.**

 **As for the omake, maybe I'll update it next chapter I dunno.**


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